


Tenderly Guide You

by TheWritingDork, what_in_the



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Broadway Cast, Character Deconstruction, Character Reconstruction, Cyberbullying (mentioned), Death Threats and Threatening Messages (Mentioned), Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Friends to Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M, Manipulation, Michael Mell Has a Squip, Michael Mell is a Squip, Mind Control Aftermath & Recovery, Mind Manipulation, Non-Con Mental Programming, Partial Mind Control, Physical Bullying (mentioned), Psychological Trauma, Situation Similar to 'Do You Wanna Hang' Occurs, Slow Burn, Underage Drinking, Unreliable Narrator
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-05-13 00:07:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 86,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19239847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWritingDork/pseuds/TheWritingDork, https://archiveofourown.org/users/what_in_the/pseuds/what_in_the
Summary: What if Jeremy didn’t take the SQUIP? What if someone else took it on his behalf? What if Michael was willing to become more than Jeremy’s best friend and become his SQUIP?After Michael takes it, things start going well not just for him and Jeremy but also all their new friends. Brooke feels seen and validated, Chloe feels liked, even Jenna feels included once Michael has finished organizing things. But comfort comes with a price, one Jeremy might not be willing to pay. One Michael might not even realize he’s paying.When Player One is unknowingly compromised, can Player Two figure it out before it’s too late and save not only the school, but his best friend?(Michael Mell gets a SQUIP - Broadway Cast with Canon Divergence from SQUIP Song Onward)





	1. Now It's Not Too Heinous of a Day

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone, hope you're having a good Sunday! After out last fic, we needed a longer break...
> 
> Now, Mara and I (TheWritingDork / Ari / michaelmellancholy on Tumblr) are back with another fic for you all! This one is something I personally have wanted to do for a long time: Michael getting a SQUIP in the only realistic way I could see him doing it... before he knows they're bad and for Jeremy, to help Jeremy. It's very messed up, and I will tell you, it is very rough and not an easy fic. It's more akin to a psychological thriller because... well, you'll see. Be sure to read the tags as well, because those all /do/ happen during the course of this fic. I don't want anyone to be taken aback. We don't hold any punches with this fic.
> 
> This chapter, though, starts off after the 'More than Survive Reprise' in the OBCR. Yes, all of our fics from now on are Bway-cast-based. This was done after I had seen the show and as many details as possible are based off of the production, like details about Jeremy's mom that are mentioned, the new pill size, and Wolverine's exact dialogues. Some details are manipulated, because most details you can get from the amazing soundtrack itself now (almost an hour and a half of stuff when the production is two and a half hours... wow). You'll know what is and is not based off of canon (some ideas we had to alter a little to fit the AU). Some things are our own personal ideas and such. Basically, if you've listened to the new soundtrack, you're good. I just wanted to add as many details as I remembered to make this more realistic since this is our first (and possibly only) canon divergence piece we've written (and may ever write).
> 
> Again, thank you all for your amazing support. This fic is not for those for the faint of heart. It gets /really/ bad... (I also never cry, but the end of Chapter Ten gets me, so know that this is a rough ride but we love you all). Also, if you can't tell, I'm very excited for this fic! <3
> 
>  
> 
> And now, our notes from what_in_the, aka Mara (BoogleBug on Tumblr):
> 
>  
> 
> 'Hey guys! We’re back at it with another story for you! This one... well I won’t lie it’s probably the most painful story we’re written so far. And the most disturbing, just from a psychological point of view. It’s intense, which is probably why it’s one of my favourites.
> 
> This chapter sets out scene and give us a little taste of what this version of the SQUIP really is like.'

Ugh, this really was going to be a pain to get off. Jeremy glared at the messy scrawl of ‘BOYF’ on his backpack. Knowing Rich, he probably used Sharpie, which meant Jeremy didn’t stand much of a chance but he had to try. Today just hadn’t gone very well.

 

First, Rich had drawn on his backpack, totally embarrassing him in front of Christine, then Jeremy had a horrible pop quiz in algebra, which he was _not_ prepared for at all, and _then_ he got laughed at by half the school for signing up to the school play (again, Rich’s fault). At least Jeremy had managed to talk to Christine a little (she was even cuter than he thought!), but she had totally blanked on him after that asshole jock Dillinger flirted with her in literally the most stupid way possible.

 

Michael would wait a few minutes more. Honestly, Michael was the only thing that made school bearable. After this was over, he could spend hours forgetting about this agony that he suffered through every day.

 

Jeremy was frustrated, so he took it out on the stain on his backpack, which still showed no sign of budging

 

And of _course_ this day _could_ get worse. As he was scrubbing away at the stain, he heard a stall door open. "Hey, Tall-Ass!" Turning around, he saw Rich coming out of one of the stalls (doing what, he didn't know, he didn't hear a flush or anything...) "What did I _say_ about washing that off?"

 

Jeremy did not need anything else ruining his day, he was already so miserable. "Leave me _alone_ , I've had a bad day!" he whined out. Well, even if he sounded pathetic, it was true!

 

Well, wrong thing to say, because he swore he saw Rich's eye twitch as he looked up at him. " _You've_ had a bad day? I'll _show_ you a bad day!" Fuck fuck _fuck_ -

 

Before he could run away, Rich grabbed onto the back of his cardigan, yanked him to one of the stalls, and proceeded to dunk his head in. Seriously, a fucking _swirly_ in this day in age? He couldn't think much more on it after he felt what a swirly actually felt like, almost dragging his glasses and tugging hard on his hair while getting him drench. Ew, ow, ew, ow!

 

The hand keeping him down suddenly let him go, and he heard Rich let out a loud gasp as he stumbled back, out of the stall. Able to move, Jeremy quickly lifted his head up, moving his hair back (ew, toilet water) and keeping too much water from dripping into his face as he watched Rich seemingly twitching from where he was leaning back against the sink counter…

 

Jeremy quickly grabbed his bag off the floor then, starting to back up towards the bathroom door. "... _Yeaaah_ , I'm just gonna go-"

 

“Don’t move!” Rich yelled, and Jeremy froze instantly. Rich was acting _super_ fucking weird and Jeremy didn’t want to risk pissing him off when he seemed so unstable.

 

Then, out of nowhere, Rich started what sounded basically like a sales pitch. He said about how he was an unnoticed freshman (Jeremy was sure no one had it worse off than him and Michael back then, thanks to Bobby Larson) and he got what... a magic drug? Now Jeremy was all for experimenting, he got high with Michael every other week, but some magic computer pill was a _bit_ of a stretch, even for Rich. The bully proceeded to scream about how it was from Japan (admittedly, he held the note very well) and say he’d sell one to Jeremy for six-hundred dollars the next day.

 

This was all beyond freaky, but Jeremy wasn’t stupid. It was maybe possible, but even with all his struggles, did he really want to rely on some untested technology in his head? What if it crashed? He could be left a vegetable, or only able to speak in Michael Jackson song lyrics (it was a dare from Michael, shut up)! It was just a bit too good to be true. But still, Jeremy was tempted.

 

“Err, maybe. I’ll need to think about it some more.” He shifted awkwardly, trying to keep the toilet water (still ew) off of his face.

 

"Let me know by tomorrow, and if you are, bring the money. Don't tell anyone else about this either," Rich said then, eyes narrowing a bit as he looked at Jeremy. With that, he walked out of the bathroom, though Jeremy swore he saw Rich's neck and shoulders twitch for a second and gently hit his palm against the side of his neck as he left... Yeah, _maybe_ this was a bit of a stretch on Rich's part thanks to something else that _wasn't_ a magic computer pill _or_ weed.

 

Either way, he quickly slung his backpack over his shoulder (it was somewhat dry, thank god), used some paper towels to dry himself off, and hurried out of the bathroom, heading to the student parking lot to find Michael.

 

Of course, Michael was there waiting. He could hear the music blasting from Michael's P.T. Cruiser, which was a lovely shade of Inferno Red. He was quick to get into the car, interrupting Michael as he was munching on some Lays he had in his lap. "Oh, hey Remy!" Michael rolled the top of the bag up, put a rubber band around it, and stuffed it quickly into his backpack in the back seat. "How was the auditions and everything? Impress _Christiiine_? Also, got you a celebratory slushie," he spewed out, though that was Michael's usual, as he buckled up and turned down the tunes of his mixtape (yes, his car was old enough to still have a tape player).

 

“Hey Mikey. Thanks dude, I need it.” Jeremy waved, tossing his bag into the back seat and grabbing the small towel from the glovebox. This sort of stuff had happened enough that they kept a towel handy at all times. He started drying his hair off.

 

“Auditions went well, I got given the role of Puck. I actually talked to Christine, she’s even sweeter that I thought!“ he tossed the towel into the back seat and grabbed his slushie as Michael drove off. “Rich caught me trying to clean off my bag afterwards, and _holy shit_ was it a weird time.” Jeremy started explaining everything Rich had told him. Yeah, Rich had said not to tell anyone, but Michael was Jeremy’s best friend. He wasn’t about to keep secrets from Michael. Ever.

 

As they got close to Jeremy's house, Michael narrowed his eyes as he thought over what Rich had told him. "Dude, that sounds like a super-bad scam. You're not gonna trust him, right?" he asked as he pulled into the driveway of the Heere household. Michael parked the car, looking Jeremy over with worry and care. Duh, they'd been the only ones having each other's back for the past twelve years. "Because he's trying to scam you super weirdly. I ain't letting my best buddy in the whole wide world get scammed like that, especially out of six-hundred bucks. Do you even _have_ six-hundred bucks?"

 

“Nope. I mean, I have about three-hundred from my bar mitzvah money, but that’s it.” Jeremy shrugged. “I was kinda considering doing my own research, because if that thing exists, god knows I could use one. I mean, I almost sweated through my cardigan in play rehearsal because Christine touched my hand. I’m a mess.”

 

Michael seemed to frown at that before looking at the Heere house through his windshield. "Well, how about we do a little reset and try to get past Level Nine in AotD? C'mooon, I know you wanna." As he said that, Michael continued to poke at Jeremy's arm and side, grinning like the geek he was.

 

Jeremy groaned dramatically, grinning as he rolled his eyes. “I _guess_ we could do that. But I need to shower first, gotta get that toilet water outta my hair.”

 

Michael conceded that point. They both rushed inside, avoiding the living room where Jeremy’s dad was almost certainly lounging around with no pants on (he never wore pants these days). Jeremy dashed into the bathroom and hopped in the shower while Michael got to work on setting up the game as well as their usual snackage.

 

Jeremy got himself clean and joined Michael a few moments later. “Apocalypse of the Damned!” Michael crowed as soon as Jeremy came into the room, chucking the X-Box controller at him. Jeremy caught it with ease, it was the only thing he really could catch.

 

“Level Nine!” he hollered back, grinning madly. This routine was standard whenever either of them had a bad day. Pop in some AotD and forget their pains.

 

Looking at the screen, he saw it was already loaded up their last save of the game, when they still had two more tries left on the level (it went for the retro-inspired vibe and worked it). "The Cafetorium!" they both cheered out together as Jeremy hopped down onto his bed, the two starting to play and get into their usual groove.

 

After getting a few minutes into the level, Jeremy felt a familiar look practically boring into him. Glancing over, he saw Michael glancing back at him. Instead of looking embarrassed for being caught like any other human being, Michael just smiled wide and looked back at the screen. "Dude, you're cooler than a vintage cassette. It's not your fault that no one else can see that," he said with a shrug as they leaned to one side, moving with their characters to avoid getting hit. "We like so many cool things, like vintage drinks, old games, and roller skating. Plus, we both managed to get matching tattoos!" After dying, Michael dropped his controller into his lap, pulling his sleeve back with a grin to show it off.

 

"Plus, it's not like high school's the end of the world or anything. We still got college, and people like us are cool there," Michael pointed out as he flopped back onto the bed, arms crossed behind his head as Jeremy saw him grin at him through his peripheral vision. "High school's hell, but if I didn't have you, things would be so much worse. We work together and get through it like we have our whole lives!"

 

“Yeah, I know. You _always_ say that.” Jeremy grinned, then sighed. “Still I can’t help but wonder if that SQUIP thing is real. I mean, wouldn’t it just help us show everyone how cool we actually are?” As his character died (this game was near impossible to do single player), Jeremy also flopped back, less relaxed than Michael. “I dunno. I might head over to the Payless and check it out, see how real this shit is. Then I can _actually_ make a choice.”

 

"What, from his dealer?" Jeremy nodded, and Michael sighed. "Well, I guess... What if you end up wanting it though and you don't got all the money? Plus, you have trouble swallowing DayQuil pills, do you think you'd be able to actually handle a computer pill?"

 

"Dude, that was when I was a little kid," Jeremy jabbed back, gently pushing Michael. Well, he _thought_ he was gentle, but Michael ended up falling off the side of the bed. Michael, as always, let out an over-exaggerated cry just as there was a knock on his door and his dad entered... pantless.

 

"Hey, is that a girl in here? Do you have a girl over?" Michael's head popped up, and he waved over at him meekly. "Oh, it's just you Michael. Hi."

 

" _Hey_ Mr. Heere."

 

“What d’you want, Dad?” Jeremy scowled. Honestly, was a little privacy so much to ask for? Or, y’know, common decency when there were guests over?

 

“Oh, I’m just going to be ordering pizza. If there’s anything you boys want-“ Jeremy didn’t let him finish. Yes, there _was_ something Jeremy wanted.

 

“Did you get dressed today? Like, at all?” Why couldn’t he just do that one simple thing? Jeremy could forgive the way he’d zoned out these past few months (coming up on a year actually) if his dad just put on some pants.

 

“Well they didn’t need me in the office so-“ They never did apparently.

 

“Most people wear pants at home.”

 

“Well most people... aren’t your father,” his dad ended lamely. Ugh, could he be more of an asshole? “Good talk.” No it fucking _wasn’t_. It never was, but dad was just too awkward to deal with it. The pantless man exited quickly, closing the door on Jeremy’s frustrated glare.

 

He felt a dip in the bed beside him and heard fiddling with the controller beside him as the game stayed paused. "... How's he doing?" Michael asked, voice softer and more concerned than before.

 

"How does it _look_?" Jeremy spat out, looking back over at the screen that he had paused unconsciously. He unpaused it, and fiddled with the set-up screen for the level with what weapon and power-ups he wanted. "He can't even move on and it's almost been a _year_. I mean, mom's moved on with her prom king from high school on Long Island, so why the hell can't he move on?"

 

Silence lingered in the air as he aimlessly just moved around, not even thinking. For once, the silence was tense and awkward, and he hated whenever it got like that between him and Michael. That meant he said something wrong, and he _never_ did around Michael. "I mean-"

 

"No, I get it," Michael told him, looking back up at the screen and quickly choosing his own weapon and power-ups in a matter of seconds. Another round of silence, but before Jeremy could try to speak up again, Michael beat him to it. "How about we _do_ go check out that Payless and the dude? We can stop by my place, I can grab some of my cash fund for my Switch, and then we can _really_ get it then?"

 

Jeremy waited for Michael to grin or say he was joking, but it never came. “Wait, you’re serious?” Michael nodded, not looking away from the screen. “I... thanks Mikey,” Jeremy said, leaning on him a little. “I’m sorry for snapping. S’not your fault that my family life’s screwed up. I just... I don’t want to end up like my dad, y’know? Sad and abandoned and shit.” He shifted so he was laying across Michael’s lap, staring up at him. Michael looked worried. “What’s on your mind?”

 

Michael glanced down at him for a moment before looking back at the screen. "I just... if this _does_ work, will you end up being too cool... for video games?" Obviously there was more to that, more than just 'video games' like Michael was insisting. Jeremy knew how Michael worked.

 

"Dude, hell no. You're, like, my favorite person!" Jeremy near-instantly reassured him, reaching his hands up and holding onto his arms, pulling him down to look at him. "I'd never dip out on video games with you."

 

Jeremy could see something shifting around in Michael's eyes at that, and it seemed like the unspoken discussion with their underlying tones got across. Michael looked down at him then, smiling softly and innocently. "Is it really true? I'm your _favowite pewson_?" he asked before flopping forward, lying across Jeremy's stomach and somewhat squishing him. Jeremy could practically _hear_ him grinning as he pretended to be dead weight.

 

“Michael! Get off, you heavy asshole!” Jeremy cackled as he squirmed and wriggled to get free of Michael, being careful not to hurt him. After a moment, he got free and they both lay there, giggling for a few seconds. “Yes, you’re my favorite person, Mikey,” Jeremy admitted honestly, sure he looked sappy as hell. What? He really valued Michael’s friendship! “We’re always gonna be a team, in school, in life, in video games- actually wait no. Not video games. I like kicking your ass too much-!” That earned him a playful shove which almost sent him sprawling off the bed. “Hey!” He sat up and leant on Michael again. “But yeah. You and me? Always a team.”

 

Michael was sitting up by the time Jeremy leant against him again. Glancing over at Jeremy then, Michael's smile was wide and practically beaming. "Oh my god, stop, you're going to burn my pasty white boy skin with the brightness of your smile! Nooo!" Jeremy whined out then, which got Michael laughing loud, to the point to where he was snorting.

 

"If you make me hurt myself f-from laughing, I can't get your cash and take your pasty white boy ass to the ma-hall!" Michael got out before eventually calming down. "If we're really going though, let me breathe long enough to save so we have one life left for next time we play, god damn."

 

 

 

They didn’t go to Menlo Park Mall very often, only when Michael was collecting some of his vintage sodas or they were picking up a new game, so it took them a couple of minutes to find the Payless. Jeremy fiddled with his money (well it was his _and_ Michael’s) in his pocket, shifting uncomfortably. “Okay, so I’m thinking its the guy with the sideburns. We go and talk to him, see what he knows, and decide, right?” Jeremy whispered as they slowly made their way in.

 

Michael nodded. "Honestly, the dude looks a lot like a really shitty Wolverine... if he wasn't cool at all and did a lot of heavy-breathing. Seriously, he gives me the creeper vibes, and I wanna talk to him less and less as I talk about how creepy he is," Michael rambled, quickly stopping himself as they got closer and closer to the back of the store, where the dude was rolling out a thing of boxes from the back of the store.

 

"Dude, you are so not helping-" Jeremy had to stop himself when the guy looked at him, eyes narrowing. " _Hey_ , nice sideburns!...You look a bit like Wolverine!" He ignored the gentle tap on his back of 'what the fuck, dude' from Michael, smiling wide despite the immense discomfort he got from this heavy-breathing dude. Eugh.

 

"Uh... so I heard you got some good stuff, better than, uh, just shoes?" 'Wolverine' narrowed his eyes further at him.

 

"It's four-hundred for one."

 

“Really? I was told it’s-“ Michael smacked Jeremy discreetly. “I mean, yeah. Awesome. Here” He handed over four-hundred dollars from their fund before internally cursing himself. They were supposed to get answers, not buy one straight away! But Jeremy was too freaked out and too anxious right now to do anything besides what he was being told. He hoped Michael would forgive him for that.

 

The guy looked over the money, as if the few fifties, twenties, and hundred-dollar bill (which was Michael's) were fake. After he carefully inspected the cash for a few minutes, the guy pocketed them before taking one of the shoe boxes and holding it out to Jeremy. "Here."

 

"Uh... ladies running shoes?" The guy looked unamused as his heavy-breathing continued.

 

"No, ugh." He opened up the box, and it seemed to almost glow. Honestly, with how tense everything felt (hey, he'd never been to a drug deal of any kind, Michael normally just showed up with the weed), he would think that the lights dimming and smoke coming out of the shoe box would make this a perfectly tense moment.

 

The guy reached in, pulling out a pill the size of Jeremy's palm that was also thin and white (holy _shit_ , he knew he was good at swallowing pills, but he didn't know if he was _that_ good). "Now, this is the SQUIP pill. You take this with regular Mountain Dew- I don't know why! You just do..." As he said this, he dropped the pill into Jeremy's hand, shutting the shoe box. "And one _very_ important thing. Never-"

 

"Uh, hello? Do you actually work here?" The tension was cut as Jeremy quickly ducked behind Michael, whose hood was up, and around the corner of one of the shoe aisles, as to not be seen by Jenna Rolan. While she wasn't _the_ most popular girl, she could certainly spread anything around and find out anything about anyone. What if she figured out what was happening?

 

"We're all sold out!"

 

"... Of _shoes_?"

 

"Oh, right! _Shoes_." He let out a heavy laugh that made even Jenna take a cautious step back from the dude. "Right this way. We have some new Crocs in that are lit a-f."

 

"Wait, what about that thing you were talking about?" Jeremy hissed out to the guy as he put the shoe box back with the others and started pushing the cart to lead Jenna away.

 

"Huh? Oh, yeah- all sales are final!" With that, he disappeared down one of the Payless shoe aisles with Jenna, who glanced warily at the Payless shoes employee, keeping a good few steps of distance between them.

 

Jeremy’s head was spinning as Michael dragged him to the food court. Did that really just happen? Had he really just paid four-hundred bucks for a pill he’d have to fucking _deep throat_ to take? Ugh, this was too weird and Jeremy’s anxiety was spiking all over the place.

 

Michael sat Jeremy down and wandered off, returning a few minutes later with a tray of chilli fries and a large drink of Mountain Dew.

 

“Thanks Mikey,” Jeremy mumbled, studying the pill. “I’m sorry. That was a complete disaster. I freaked.”

 

"It's fine, I should've tried to handle that. I know how to handle stuff like that better," Michael consoled before reaching over and patting his shoulder. "Mourn over your loss with chili fries, and hey, at least you didn't spend _all_ of your money and have a hundred left." Jeremy gave an odd look to Michael then. "We each paid fifty-fifty, and no, if you try to give me two-hundred back, I won't take it."

 

“You’re impossible, I swear.” Jeremy chuckled, eating a fry and feeding Michael one that wasn’t covered in anything. Michael took the fry happily, shooting Jeremy a cheeky grin.

 

“You know it.”

 

Jeremy started studying the pill again. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to swallow it, and suddenly all the doubts from earlier came rushing back. What if it didn’t work? Or worse, what if it _did_ and it made him into a cyborg or something? God, he should have done more research, Michael could have probably found _something_. He was good at that.

 

He only came back to reality when his line of sight was disrupted by Michael's hand waving in front of his face. "Hello, earth to Jeremy!"

 

"Ah, sorry Mikey," he muttered out, sadly feeding himself a chili fry as he looked over the pill again. "I just... I don't know. I spent _half_ of both of our money on it, I can't just _not_ use it. I learned that last time after getting some Heeley's and then forgetting about them until they were too small to wear. Could've used that sixty bucks on something else..."

 

There was a silence that hung over them for a moment before Michael spoke up. "Well, why do you want the pill again, Remy?"

 

“It’s supposed to be like some sort of guide, right? Well I want it to guide me on how to be... better? I don’t know, just let me actually be cool to people other than you for once. And maybe helping me out with my anxiety, that would be useful too,” Jeremy joked weakly.

 

Michael seemed to think that over before holding his hand out. "OK, got it. Give me the pill and I'll help you with the thing."

 

“Wait, what?”

 

"You heard me. I'll take the damn thing for you, let it guide you, and get our money's worth out of it! If it doesn't work, we'll figure out a way to turn it off and then we're good. Plus, if we _really_ want more money, we can try finding odd jobs. My moms know enough people who are willing to pay us for weird things to do if the money thing is what's bugging you the most."

 

“I- er-“ Jeremy was a little shocked. He had told Michael all his worries about this on the way over, so it’s not like Michael didn’t know why Jeremy was freaking out. Still, while he and Michael might be close, the closest two people could be without being in a relationship, this was taking it to a new level. Jeremy handed over the pill.

 

“I take it back, you’re a literal angel. I swear, Michael.”

 

"You know it. You just better pay me back somehow so I can get a Switch," Michael teased as he took the pill, looking it over before taking the large cup. "Well, here goes nothing."

 

Placing the pill in his mouth, Michael shut his eyes as he somehow managed to swallow the pill with a few sips of Mountain Dew. He smacked his lips after taking a few more sips, leaving the cup a third of the way empty. "Well? How do you feel?" Jeremy asked him, leaning forward a little with anticipation.

 

 

 

Michael smacked his lips together a few more times, frowning. Ew, minty. "Gross, and that I need to get this mint taste out of my mouth." He drank a bit more of the soda before putting the cup back down on the tray. Well, this was a waste of four-hundred dollars. "Hey, bright side: at least we didn't get scammed by Rich and lose _six-hundred_ dollars instead of the four-hundred." If he didn't look at the bright side, Jeremy would get a lot more upset, and he didn't want that! He already felt like ass, and Michael wasn't going to make it worse.

 

“At least I now know that you’re willing to deep-throat a possible quantum computer for me. That’s worth paying you back _two_ -hundred at least.” Jeremy was trying to be positive, but his weak grin slipped and he knocked his head on the table. “Ugh, I’m sorry Mikey. I’ll get you some Crystal Pepsi or something to make it up to you.”

 

"It's cool, don't worry. If you really want to make it up to me, get me some Ghostbusters Ecto Cooler."

 

"What does that even taste like?" Jeremy asked, glancing up at him.

 

Michael couldn't help but contain his grin as he put on the most solemn expression as he spoke in a deadpan tone. "Ghosts."

 

They both sat there in silence for a minute before bursting out into laughter, getting some annoyed glances from passersby and other food court goers. Hey, he got Jeremy to laugh and feel a bit better, so that was a win in his book!

 

“I said it before and I’ll say it again: you’re a literal angel, Mikey.” Jeremy grinned, squeezing Michael’s hand. Then his gaze focused on something behind Michael and his face turned red. Oh, there was only one person who could prompt that response.

 

When Michael turned around, Christine was walking not too far from them, following Jake somewhere. Michael thought he heard a mention of Sbarro.

 

"-t's where I used to go with my parents before they had to-" Oh god, OK, a sob story that Christine seemed to eat up and Jeremy was getting a bit peeved by.

 

Michael reached over, taking Jeremy's hand and standing. "Come on Remy, let's just head back for now. We can pick up something for dinner on the way back-"

 

“What?” Jeremy had obviously been deep in thought, as usual when Christine was involved. Michael was glad he didn’t share a psychic link with Jeremy or something, he did _not_ want to know what went on in that boy’s head. “Oh, yeah. Good idea.” Jeremy let himself be lead away, turning his attention back on to Michael. “You feeling okay dude? You’re looking a little pale all of a sudden. Is it the-?”

 

Before he could hear what Jeremy had to say, a sudden shock seemingly went through his head, causing him to wince and rest his hand against his temple. "Ow."

 

" **Target Male: Assistance Available.** "

 

"Michael, are you alright?" he heard Jeremy ask. Before Michael could respond, another shock coursed through him, his entire body this time, causing him to hiss as he felt his knees grow weak.

 

" **Calibration in progress. Please excuse some mild discomfort.** " Like _hell_ this was mild!

 

"Hey, is he OK? What's wrong?" he heard a feminine voice ask- Christine, he recognized it as Christine's voice. "Do we need to get someone to help him, Jeremy?"

 

"Yeah, uh, he doesn't look too hot." That was Jake.

 

" **Calibration complete. Access procedure initiated.** "

 

“I- I don’t know! This has never happened before!” Jeremy sounded panicked. The pain in his head lessened considerably, dulling down to almost nothing. Michael opened his eyes and shot Jeremy a shaky grin.

 

“I’m fine, I just-“

 

“ **Discomfort level may increase.** ”

 

Michael couldn’t contain the scream which burst past his lips as his head started splitting apart in pain. Vaguely, he felt the hands on his shoulders, and that his head was resting against someone’s chest, but he couldn’t really tell beyond the agony.

 

“ **Accessing neural memory. Accessing muscle memory. Access procedure complete. Michael Oliver Mell. Welcome to your Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor. Your SQUIP.** ” The pain cut off abruptly.

 

Michael blinked as the pain suddenly went away, everything else sounding distant except for the voice that echoed in his head. As his vision cleared past the now-gone pain, he saw, standing by the nearby Sbarro stand, was... Keanu Reeves? No, not perfectly, but he looked close. He wore a funky outfit too, mostly white with some blue designs that resembled the internal hardware of a computer or something else. His hair, outfit, stance was all perfect, and Michael couldn't help but be in awe.

 

"Holy _shit_ , it worked," Michael muttered out, staring right at who he quickly pieced together was his SQUIP.

 

“It _worked_?” Jeremy asked, his voice a barely a whisper as he looked down at Michael. Michael suddenly became aware that Jeremy was holding him close and his head was resting against Jeremy’s chest.

 

“I- er, think he just had a bad headache or something. I’ll take it from here, guys. But thanks,” Jeremy called shakily to who Michael assumed were Jake and Christine. “Okay, can you stand?” When had they knelt down?

 

“ **You need to escort Jeremy away from here so we can talk properly, Michael. Take him over to the bench by Spencer’s Gifts,** ” his SQUIP instructed. Michael couldn’t see a reason to ignore it, so he nodded both in agreement with his SQUIP and in confirmation to Jeremy.

 

"Well, OK. Be careful!" Christine called as Jeremy helped up Michael. "Bye Jeremy, bye Jeremy's friend!" Jake just waved for a second before turning back to talk to Christine.

 

Michael let himself be led for a moment away from Christine and Jake before tugging Jeremy's hand. "C'mon." Jeremy just nodded, probably because he was still shaken up from what just happened. Hell, he still was too, and he had no idea how he was able to walk-

 

" **I didn't do anything other can 'set myself up,' Michael. Of course you're able to walk.** "

 

"Yeah, but it's still weird how I'm totally fine after it felt like you shocked me half to death," Michael grumbled out as he made it to the bench with Jeremy, plopping himself down with a huff as the SQUIP stood nearby. "Also, why the hell do you look like some knock-off Keanu Reeves and sound like him from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure?"

 

“ **Don’t speak aloud unless it’s to relay some information to Jeremy,** ” the SQUIP corrected with a scowl. “ **As to my appearance, this is my default mode tailored to what you believe would be most appealing to Jeremy. Since you intend to act as my physical representation for him, most of my settings are tailored to him from your own knowledge of him. Which, might I add, is worryingly excessive. If you want, though, we can adjust the form?** ”

 

“Dude, who the hell are you talking to? Wait, is it- does it have like a physical form for you? Where is it?” Jeremy looked around, obviously excited.

 

Michael nodded to Jeremy, pointing to where it was standing (it was next to Jeremy on his side of the bench). 'Uh... is this better? I'm gonna assume its better,' Michael thought at the SQUIP (which was totally weird, the fuck). 'Also, you're not here to question me, you're here to help me help Jeremy. And no, your form's fine, it's actually really cool. If I didn't love my hoodie so much, I'd wear that jacket that you got on.'

 

The SQUIP looked thoughtful before nodding. “ **Well it seems like you’re not a totally helpless case. And neither is Jeremy, if your memories have anything to say about it. And before you say anything, if you’re going to help Jeremy you also have to help yourself. You’d be no use to him if you’re left in different social circles.** ”

 

“Is it taking to you? What’s it saying? C’mon, Mikey, give me something to go off of here!” Jeremy half whined. Michael knew he _hated_ not understanding or not being part of things, especially if Michael was involved.

 

Michael looked at Jeremy, unable to keep him in the dark for too long, even if he was still figuring this thing out. "Yeah, it’s communicating with me mentally, I gotta think at it."

 

"Like in X-Men?" Jeremy gasped out, and Michael saw the SQUIP look unamused at the comparison.

 

"Yeah, like that. I just need to figure something out with him on how we're gonna start helping you, just gimmie a sec. Act like I'm just daydreaming or something."

 

"You better keep me updated."

 

"Of course I will, Remy," Michael reassured him with a smile, watching Jeremy quickly pull out his phone and start to tap away at it before he glanced back to where the SQUIP was (it moved to sit beside and a little behind him, so when he looked at it, it just seemed like he was daydreaming... and he just realized it was sitting a bit like a cat perched onto something).

 

" **I can assure you, I am no perching cat.** "

 

'I'm just calling it like I see it.'

 

The SQUIP ignored that comment. “ **We have a lot of work to do to get you both into order to achieve Jeremy’s current two goals: a) become popular and b) win over Christine. I just want to confirm that this is what you want, Michael. Are you really willing to become the equivalent of an extension of me?** ” That... was surprisingly gentle. If nothing else, the SQUIP seems to at least care about Michael’s desires.

 

'Well, yeah, to help Jeremy get what he wants. I just want him to be happy and succeed, y'know? He deserves it after all the shitty hands he's been dealt,' Michael mentally confirmed, glancing at Jeremy for a few seconds. He felt himself relax a bit at the thought of Jeremy really knowing how great he actually was before he looked back at his SQUIP. 'Plus, I shelled out two-hundred dollars for you, so... yeah. Help me help Jeremy.'

 

“ **Very well. Objective confirmation complete. Time to get started.** ” Michael felt a small shiver travel down his spine, caused by the SQUIP’s grin, and for half a second he wondered what he had gotten himself into. Then the SQUIP started talking again and Michael made himself focus on that.

 

“ **From now on, you listen to me, follow my instructions and when speaking others, you say what I tell you until you have learned the correct behaviors, is that understood? And you will relay my instructions to Jeremy without complaint. This is the _only_ way you can help him at this point.**”

 

Michael hesitated, then sent back a confirmation. He _did_ just say he would help Jeremy however he could, didn’t he?

 

“ **Very good, Michael. Now, first things first. You both need a wardrobe update. A couple of shirts will do for now, you can focus on the rest afterwards. Head down that strip and I’ll tell you what shop to go in to.** ”

 

'What's wrong with what we're wearing now?' Michael mentally asked while he got up. He saw Jeremy look up from his phone then, and Michael smiled down at him. "We're gonna walk for a little bit and my SQUIP's trying to figure out exactly what we need to do."

 

"Oh, alright." Jeremy practically hopped up then, almost buzzing with excitement as they both started down the strip of the large mall.

 

“ **In essence? You both look like stoner nerds, and that is not a look which is widely approved, even if it is currently true.** ” The SQUIP sighed, pinching the bridge of its nose. “ **Also-** ” Michael felt his spine straighten automatically. “ **-you both need to stand up straight. Tell Jeremy and push two fingers into this point on his back.** ” It pointed to just between Jeremy’s shoulder blades. “ **He also needs to add some swagger to his walk and take his hands out his pockets. He needs to look more confident before he can even think of feeling it.** ”

 

Michael frowned a bit at the SQUIP’s advice. It was helpful, but that wasn’t _Jeremy_. Before he or his SQUIP could communicate further, Jeremy was looking at him with a slightly confused look. “You alright dude? You just shot up like you saw puppies you could pet or something.”

 

“Yeah, just something SQUIP had me do. Something about more confidence in how you walk. Try doing it.” Jeremy tried, but was still slouching a little. Michael smiled a little at the effort he was really putting into this. “No, just let me. Can I sorta straighten you out?”

 

“Yeah, since you can’t straighten yourself out.”

 

“Oh, all the funnies are coming out,” Michael almost snickered out, resting his hand gently against his back for a second before pushing him ever so slightly. “There you go. Acting a little more confident in yourself goes a long way.” Jeremy was beaming wide at him, and it almost overpowered the slight disapproval he felt coming in waves from his SQUIP.

 

“ **It’s an improvement,** ” it grumbled, crossing its arms for a minute. “ **Okay fine, when dealing with Jeremy, you can filter my instructions to how you think would best work since you know him best, so long as he gets them _all_ in a decent time frame. But with dealing with others, you have to listen to the letter or else you’ll crash and burn. And you don’t want to let Jeremy down, do you?**”

 

“So, erm, where are we going, dude? Because I’m just following you.” Jeremy grinned, eyeing Michael with humor in his gaze. He was really enjoying this already? Wow.

 

SQUIP pointed to a shop. “ **In there.** ”

 

Michael looked and scrunched his nose at the popular-person store. Well, if it would help Jeremy... “In there,” Michael echoed, gesturing with his thumb to the store. “SQUIP wants to try to see what it can do to update the wardrobe a little. You know, spare cash and all.” Michael glanced at the SQUIP. ‘Focusing on him right now’s what he needs, this is all sorta for him.’

 

“ **Okay, we can sort you out tonight then. With your permission, I’ll order some clothing online that will be suitable. Just a couple of shirts until you have a more defined style,** ” it offered. Okay that would be kind of helpful. “ **I’ll keep the budget low, don’t worry. And thank you for your cooperation, Michael. It makes this so much easier.** ” Michael felt kinda good from that. Time to see what SQUIP would direct Jeremy to.

 

“So, what are we getting?” Jeremy looked around, seemingly a little overwhelmed but holding it together well enough for now.

 

“ **Tell him to grab that shirt in his size, then try to chose one for himself. I’ll advise him on his choice after,** ” SQUIP instructed.

 

Michael looked over at the (in his opinion) gaudy shirt before pointing to it. “Try finding your size in that then go look for something on your own dude. You’re doing great,” Michael said, giving a thumbs-up and everything to him.

 

Jeremy seemed to really like that idea, smiling a bit before quickly searching for that shirt in his size. It didn’t take too long, he was a common shirt size.

 

“It’s got... Eminem on it. Does anyone even listen to Eminem anymore?” Jeremy mused, wandering over to a different display. “Oh well. Let’s go find another shirt, Mikey.”

 

“ **Reassure him that I’ll cover should he need to answer any questions about his music tastes. We can develop his own knowledge in time.** ” The SQUIP sounded rather proud, which made Michael feel rather proud too. He was helping Jeremy! And it was making Jeremy happy!

 

“It’s fine. If anyone asks about it, I’ll cover for you,” Michael said with a grin and a shrug. That seemed to be enough for Jeremy, as he just nodded and smiled. God, he saw his smile less and less lately, and he loved seeing it whenever it did show up.

 

‘So, what was the importance of him picking up that shirt?’ Michael couldn’t help but ask as he walked along with Jeremy, watching curiously as he browsed. The last time they went clothes shopping together was the start of high school, when he got Jeremy his cardigan as a surprise and Jeremy got him his base red hoodie as a surprise.

 

“ **My processors tell me it’ll lead to a... favorable outcome? It’s difficult to describe, my quantum processors give me, in essence, a feeling for what will and will not happen. That shirt offers one such positive outcome,** ” the SQUIP explained with a shrug. Michael was so caught up in listening to it that he didn’t notice Jeremy holding up a nice, striped shirt. “ **That's a girl’s shirt.** ” There wasn’t any judgement in SQUIP’s tone, just a layer of exasperation.

 

Well, at least the SQUIP wasn't super judgmental about gendered clothing. Well, it was an _it_ , so it made sense that it wouldn't care as much. It wasn't like they asked for something hyper-masculine for a goal. "It looks nice, Remy. Those colors compliment your fair complexion," he teased, though he was serious as well. Even if some people would judge Jeremy for going between sections for the best piece of clothing for him personally, he would never because Jeremy at least could make outfits. He wished he could rock off some other stuff from the girl's section like Jeremy could. Hell, he sucked at even finding a shirt and bottom that matched if it wasn't his classic jeans with a nerdy shirt.

 

“ **I’ll help you with that,** ” SQUIP reassured him.

 

“Jerry?” A voice rung out behind them and both Jeremy and Michael spun around to see Chloe and Brooke, the most popular girls in school, watching them both carefully.

 

“It’s-er- Jeremy actually,” Jeremy corrected shakily. At SQUIP’s requests Michael walked forward and wrapped his arm around Jeremy’s shoulders, turning back to face the girls with a casual grin.

 

“And I’m Michael, nice to meet you both. Jeremy mentioned that you both did brilliantly in the auditions today,” he chirped, and noticed some of the harshness melted out of Chloe’s gaze. “Also I’m loving the shirt, Brooke. Really compliments your skin tone.” Okay, so SQUIP seemed to know what it was doing so far. And it made talking to people so much easier. Time to put it to the test.

 

Jeremy clutched the shirt desperately, spluttering unintelligibly.

 

“Is that a girl’s shirt?” Chloe’s gaze turned harsh again. Jeremy went to deny it, but Michael made him agree (with the SQUIP’s prompting).

 

“We were just checking it out, weren’t we Jere? His last girlfriend had one just like it and Jeremy just got a little caught by the memories.” SQUIP encouraged the lie for now, and Michael felt like it would be a bad idea to not listen right now. “Madeline’s a cheating ass,” he grumbled and after a bit more subtle prompting, Jeremy heartily agreed, looking down at the shirt sadly.

 

“She wore it to our first date to the movies.” He sniffled.

 

'Why am I lying like this about someone I don't know? This isn't ho-'

 

"She did _what_?" Chloe asked, snapping the plastic clothing hanger in his hand in half. Holy _shit_. " _See_ Brooke, I _told_ you she was bad news!"

 

"Yeah, totally," Brooke agreed, sipping some of her LaCroix before looking at Jeremy with sympathy and... something else. "I'm really sorry about that, Jeremy. I had a boyfriend who cheated on me, so I totally get where you're coming from."

 

" **People bond over shared enemies, Michael. Plus, it's helping you quickly gain connections with two of the most popular girls, and one is gaining sympathy and something else towards Jeremy.** "

 

'Wait, what?'

 

" **Jeremy can easily rise to popularity and to Christine by dating Broo-** "

 

'OK, full stop there,' Michael thought as Jeremy happily chatted with Brooke, Chloe chiming in occasionally as she glanced at Michael. He gave her a smile, which softened her gaze before she focused back on Jeremy. 'No one is using _anybody_ for _any_ reason, that's messed up! That is _not_ how you make _anyone_ happy. He also does _not_ like Brooke, no way is he gonna lead her on like that! Hell no, go about it some other way.'

 

" **Hm... fine, but tune back in now, they're about to ask you something. Let me rework my plan.** "

 

"-but Michael helped me after she broke up with me. Isn't that right?" Jeremy offered, glancing up at Michael. Only he could see Jeremy searching, seeing if he was still dazing out to talk with the SQUIP or not, and looked relieved that he was tuned back in.

 

"Yeah, I mean, it's what best friends do for each other. We've been besties since kindergarten, I'm not letting anyone hurt my best bud," Michael added, gently squeezing Jeremy's shoulder. "I mean, you two care for each other a lot, you're each other's best friends, right?"

 

Brooke and Chloe both seemed surprised by that question. "Of course! Chloe's super nice when you get to know her."

 

Chloe seemed to soften a bit at that, hastily hanging the broken hanger somewhere where it wouldn't get noticed for now. "Aww, Brooke!"

 

“You two should come with us to Pinkberry! We’re about to head out now,” Brooke gasped, looking up at Chloe with hopeful eyes. “Then we can all get to know each other better!”

 

Chloe looked thoughtful, then she nodded. “I wouldn’t mind, so long as you two nerds pay for yourselves.” Jeremy looked like he was about to start freaking out, so Michael stepped in, letting the SQUIP guide him since he had _no_ idea on how to handle this.

 

“That sounds great! We need to finish off shopping, so how about we meet you there in about half an hour? I’ve got a car, so I’ll drive us.”

 

“Sounds good. See you there, Jeremy, Michael.” With a quick wave, Chloe dragged Brooke over to the counter and quickly exited the store.

 

“ **Well done, Michael. You and Jeremy both handled that very well. Let him know that from me, please.** ” Michael felt himself puff up a little with pride. That was probably the first properly successful interaction he’d ever had with someone who _wasn’t_ Jeremy or directly related to them.

 

“Holy shit, dude. I think we just made friends with the most popular girls in school!” Jeremy whisper-yelled, eyes wide and bright as he tugged on Michael’s sleeve a little.

 

Michael grinned down at Jeremy as he nodded. “Yeah, you did so great Remy!” he whisper-yelled back. “Seriously, you just went along with it and were able to talk to them by yourself for a bit, even if you were intimidated.” He gave Jeremy a big, goofy grin then, and he felt a bit happier as he did so. They both did so well! Jeremy was so happy and branching out! More people were gonna realize how great his best friend was!

 

“ **They will with your help,** ” SQUIP confirmed.

 

“So, what shirt should I get instead of this one?” Jeremy asked with a bashful grin. SQUIP pointed out a pile.

 

“ **Then you two can head over to Pinkberry.** ”

 

Michael pointed over to a pile with his thumb again, smiling wide as he did so. “That one, and then we can check out and head to Pinkberry.”

 

He followed Jeremy, noticing how he bounced a little as he went. Michael couldn’t help but feel prideful and just so happy for Jeremy. People were noticing him, and they were going to get to know how amazing his best friend was. Maybe high school wouldn’t be so bad for them after all.


	2. Going to Pinkberry Isn't So Scary (But it Isn't as Good as 7/11)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo folks, it's me, TheWritingDork (Ari / michaelmellancholy @ Tumblr)! Back at it again at Krispy Kreme-
> 
> Nah, just kidding. Glad to see so many people loving this interesting take so far on this troupe that was super popular maybe a year or so ago and pops up occasionally. It's been a bit of my own baby that Mara helped me take, shape, and create. It means a lot that you guys are so excited.
> 
> Today's chapter happens between 'Be More Chill Pt 2' and 'Sync Up' because we /are/ going to Pinkberry with the girls!... Well, Jeremy and Michael are, and then we have Michael and Jeremy hanging after since Michael's actually driving Jeremy around! Woop, right? Well, that's up for you to decide. ;3c We have some personal interpretations on the girls and other non-canonical details in here, so I hope you guys enjoy it!
> 
>  
> 
> And now, our words from what_in_the (Mara / booglebug @ Tumblr): 
> 
> 'Ok guys you are all INSANE!!! Tysm for the massive support, it honestly is sending my head spinning! And I love reading your comments even if I don’t respond. Dealing with some stuff on my end which means I can’t be online much, but I do read all your comments and honestly they mean the world to me! I love you guys, thanks for everything!
> 
> Now, this chapter lets us get to know SQUIP a little better, get to know the girls a little and maybe gives us a clue that not everything is as it seems. See if you can spot what I mean ; ) enjoy!'

Pinkberry... wasn’t somewhere Michael would go himself. They made you pay by weight of what you got, not by a predetermined size, and while there was a variety of flavors and toppings, it wasn’t something he was a fan of. Regardless, it was where they were meeting, and SQUIP had him pick something he actually would like. Thank god, because he was very picky when it came to things he liked. “ **I am only trying to help, not harm. Plus, your flavor choices aren’t going to harm any chances with befriending the girls.** ”

 

Michael internally shrugged it off, going and paying for his and Jeremy’s frozen yogurt before glancing around to find the girls.

 

“ **Tell Jeremy to wave and say hi to them, saying hi to Brooke first and then Chloe.** ” Michael relayed this information just before they found the booth the two girls were in, and he felt a rush of good as he saw Jeremy do as he relayed to him.

 

“We were worried you two weren’t going to show!” Brooke said as they came over, the two of them entering the booth on the free side. “Glad to know you didn’t blow us off.” Her tone was clearly teasing and playful, not meaning anything she said.

 

“We wouldn’t do that,” Jeremy said in mock offence, obviously picking up on the right way to behave with them. Michael couldn’t be prouder that Jeremy was learning _already_.

 

“ **Yeah, we might be nerdy but we’re nerdy gentlemen. We won’t leave you hanging,** ” SQUIP relayed, and Michael repeated it, matching the tone as best he could. Chloe rolled her eyes, but she was smiling, and Brooke giggled.

 

“I can see that, you two are so nice!” Jeremy turned red and spluttered out a small thanks. Michael chuckled and patted him on the back.

 

“Remy’s a little shy most of the time, so you’ll have to forgive him.” So was Michael, but something about having a SQUIP in his head made him feel a lot more confident. Maybe it was because he didn’t need to worry about making a misstep or accidentally making someone uncomfortable.

 

Both girls cooed at that, which only made Jeremy’s fluster worse. “ **Good job, Michael. Now ask them about themselves. Find out what they like. The thing a lot of people like most is talking about themselves or their interests, so showing interest in that is a good way to win friends,** ” SQUIP guided gently. Michael knew that Jeremy would catch on once he started off, so he didn’t need to worry about relaying it somehow.

 

“So,” Michael started, taking a spoonful of the yogurt and readying to eat it, “Surely you guys have some interests beyond shopping and Pinkberry. Like, there’s more to you guys than your looks and places to hang.” He ate his spoonful of yogurt then, watching as Chloe’s more hardened features softened a little.

 

“Well, you’re definitely right about that. Good to know not all guys care about more than just that.” She stirred the remains of her yogurt then. “Like, no one would look at us and think ‘oh wow, Chloe totally loves music’ or ‘Brooke totally loves some nerdy stuff.’”

 

Brooke looked a bit surprised at that as she looked up at Chloe. “Wait, you remembered?”

 

“Uh, duh. You’re my bestie, of course I know you like that nerdy crap.”

 

“What sort of nerd stuff we talking about?” Jeremy asked, perking up a little. Brooke blushed.

 

“I really love comics,” she admitted. Instantly Jeremy lit up and they started chattering happily. If there was one thing Jeremy could talk for hours about (besides video games or Christine), it was comics.

 

“ **Talk to Chloe, play up the connection. Jeremy seems to be doing just fine on his own for now, but I’ll keep an eye on him for you.** ”

 

“So what sort of music do you like? Because I’m really into the older stuff, I’m talking Queen all the way back to Marley.” Michael grinned, taking a spoonful of his frozen yogurt.

 

“I _love_ Queen!” Chloe exclaimed, before glancing around, looking slightly embarrassed. “But yeah, I love the older stuff too, but mostly things like Queen or ABBA. My mom would play them to be growing up, so they were the music of my childhood.” Chloe started rambling about certain songs, all of which Michael knew. Who would have guessed that the most popular girl in school would have similar tastes to him in music?

 

“I make sort of mixtapes all of the time for whatever music sort of strikes my mood. I could totally make you one, but a CD or whatever works better for you, and throw in some songs I think you might like,” Michael told her after they gushed and rambled about a few songs.

 

Chloe seemed to light up at the idea before quickly narrowing her eyes. “This isn’t some kinda trick or anything, right?”

 

Michael was confused for a minute, because why would he ever play a trick about music? “ **She’s referring to you trying to hit on her or something similar.** ”

 

_Oh_. “Oh no way, of course not. Plus, I’m super gay,” Michael reassured her, gesturing to his sleeve with his pride patch before eating his last spoonful of yogurt. “I really just wanna do that for you. Anyone who has such good music taste is someone I wanna talk to and hang with, you know?”

 

“Oh wow, I really love gay people. Not saying that like ‘oh wow, gay people are super cool just ‘cause’ or anything. My mom’s actually super gay and realized it a bit ago.”

 

“Oh wow, congrats to her!” Michael gave a sincere round of applause, and Chloe just grinned.

 

“Yeah, and besides, I’m pretty sure I’m somewhere there too. Not _totally_ straight, just mostly,” she admitted, still smiling.

 

“Did I hear someone say gay?” Brooke chimed in, leaning over and grinning. Jeremy chuckled, watching her fondly.

 

“I did. Big ol’ homosexual here.” Michael raised his hand comically, and felt a rush of approval from the SQUIP. Awesome. This talking to people thing wasn’t too hard after all!

 

“Pansexual!” Brooke giggled, and Chloe shrugged, her smile a little smaller now but somehow more genuine.

 

“Questioning... What about you, Jeremy?”

 

“Same here, I think. I’m _pretty_ sure I’m straight but I’m open to the idea of experimenting.” Okay that was a new one. Michael hadn’t heard Jeremy say _that_ before. SQUIP helped him conceal his surprise.

 

“ **He’s bisexual, but in denial. Don’t focus on that aspect for now, we can talk more on it later.** ”

 

“Well I guess what they say is true: birds of a feather tend to stick together,” Michael joked, and Chloe just groaned and playfully rolled her eyes while Brooke burst out into a fit of giggles.

 

“Oh my _god_ Mikey! That’s so true. Are you sure you didn’t pick that up somewhere? That sounds a bit too clever,” Brooke teased. Oh my god, nicknames already? Progress!

 

Michael just shrugged and smiled. “Well, with my _gay_ moms, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I just sort of figured I’m like some kinda not-straight magnet, y’know?”

 

“It’s true, his moms are adorable together. And they helped my Gran figure out she’s actually ace, so Michael’s family just tends to have that effect.” There was something in Jeremy’s voice that Michael couldn’t place, but SQUIP didn’t let him linger too long on it.

 

“ **You’re doing well. Now let me assist you a bit.** ” At SQUIP’s prompting, Michael started repeating what he was told.

 

“If you text me that list of songs, I’ll see what I can put together for you Chloe.” Chloe looked brighter than Michael had ever seen her in school. “And I’m pretty sure Remy has some of the comics you guys were talking about. Maybe you could come over sometime to read them or something? We could all hang out after school.” Brooke nodded eagerly.

 

“That would be awesome!”

 

“Cool. If you guys give us your numbers, we can organize it sometime!”

 

Michael was quickly given the numbers of Chloe and Brooke, watching as they lit up a little when he asked what emoji they'd want next to their names (he always put down someone's first name and then an emoji that represented them, it helped him). After putting a musical score next to Chloe's name and a sunflower next to Brooke's name (his SQUIP insisted on that one, and Brooke's giddy grin proved how good of a choice it was), he quickly put together a group chat for them. He didn't let them see how small his list of conversations were: only his group chat with his moms and his message chat with Jeremy.

 

"Well, we actually have to get going. Brookie and I were going to hang out at her place. You better send a message in that chat-"

 

"Done." Michael smiled wide as he showed off the group chat, where he identified himself for the girls. "You two go have fun, we'll talk to you guys later!"

 

Brooke and Chloe both waved (and Brooke blew both him and Jeremy a kiss) as they left. Michael wanted to relax and slouch now they were gone, but his SQUIP didn’t let his spine bend in the slightest.

 

“ **I’m helping to train your back into a better habit. And we’ll help Jeremy do the same over time,** ” it explained.

 

Jeremy, on the other hand, slouched as soon as the girls were gone, his better posture melting away. They were both introverts at heart, no matter how bombastic Michael’s personality was, so social interaction with anyone other than each other was exhausting. “Holy shit dude. We just legit made friends with the popular girls. And Brooke likes X-Men! She wants to read comics with me!”

 

"I know, it's crazy," Michael said with a somewhat tired grin. "We _definitely_ need to celebrate this later. It's getting late though, and I need to get your skinny ass home." He poked Jeremy's side then, smiling wide. "I can pick us up something on my way to drop you off though, it can be a mini-reward."

 

"Dude, you don't have to. You and your SQUIP have been helping, let _me_ buy it."

 

"Nu-uh, I'm buying it," Michael insisted then before he got out of the seat. "Now come on, you nerd. If you don't take your time, I _might_ let you choose where we get dinner from."

 

 

 

After a delicious dinner at Wendy’s (Jeremy got nuggets, as usual), the two were heading back home. Well, to Jeremy’s house first. Then Michael would head home after that, but he was insistent that he come back with Jeremy and stay around to help him ‘prepare’ for tomorrow.

 

Jeremy was grateful for the help, but there was something niggling at the back of his mind. Michael was acting strangely. Now granted, he now had a super computer in his head, who apparently had a voice and a sort of physical form, but there was something else. Jeremy couldn’t place it, but Michael just seemed somehow less... Michael. It was hard to explain, but it was like a small edge was shaved off his otherwise exuberant personality. Jeremy wasn’t sure if he liked it, but since the SQUIP had been helpful thus far, he was willing to let it play out so long as Michael was happy. Plus, Michael got to be popular with Jeremy, so that was the best thing ever.

 

“So tell me dude, what’s it’s actually _like_ having it in your brain? Like, what’s the sensation like?” They hadn’t been able to talk about this until now, too paranoid of being overheard at Wendy’s.

 

Michael seemed to scrunch his face a little as he thought it over, though kept most of his focus on the road. "Well... I dunno man, it's like there's just another person there, helping and guiding. I can talk to it in my head and it's a little weird since only _I_ can see and hear it, but it looks super cool. When we're at your place and I'm helping you, I'll try to draw out what it looks like," he offered, glancing at Jeremy when they were at the stop sign to turn down the street of Jeremy's house. "I guess you could say it's like some weird sci-fi sitcom, where you got a new roommate... but it's in your brain!" He shot his hands out, waving them around in a 'mystifying' manner before grinning and turning down onto Jeremy's street.

 

Jeremy burst out laughing, shaking his head. Now _that_ was a very Michael comment. Maybe Jeremy just wasn’t used to having to share Michael, or how he was going to act around other people.

 

“Well so long as you’re chill with it, so am I. Also, I know it’s a piece of tech and stuff, but since it looks like a person does it have like... preferred pronouns? I don’t want to be calling the SQUIP it if it prefers something else.”

 

Michael seemed to zone out for a second, which was normal for Michael to do, but it just still seemed off. Probably because he wasn't _actually_ zoning out, but listening to the SQUIP in his head. "What we've been doing with calling the SQUIP 'it' and stuff is cool. It doesn't really care, but since we've been calling it that, it's cool." Another brief pause. "Apparently that's customizable too depending on the user, ooo."

 

“Oh, awesome!” Jeremy grinned. Okay. He could deal, Michael seemed happy enough and the SQUIP _had_ helped a lot so far. “What’s it look like at the moment? You said something about Keanu Reeves and Bill and Ted earlier, does it still look like that?” A thought. “And is it possible for me to ever see it or hear it in any way?” He was genuinely curious.

 

"Yeah, he looks like a knock-off of Keanu Reeves, but still super cool and with an air of perfection, I guess." Michael paused as he pulled into Jeremy's driveway then, parking the car.

 

He scrunched his face up after doing that, seemingly thinking something over, before looking over at Jeremy then. "You can't see me, Jeremy, but this is the closest you could get to talking to me. Don't worry, I asked Michael for permission to do this," Michael- no, the SQUIP said with Michael's voice.

 

What the _fuck_.

 

Jeremy had to suppress his screech because the super computer _just spoke **through** his friend._ And he _knew_ it wasn’t just Michael messing with him, since that just didn’t _sound_ like Michael. Sure, it was his voice, but the tone was wrong and all the pronunciations were different. Too crisp, Too perfect. Freaky as fuck.

 

“I- er- sure! Hi! Nice to meet you properly, I guess? Thanks for your help...” How was Jeremy even supposed to respond to that?

 

"Of course, Jeremy. After all, Michael's goal _is_ to help you. Now, I suggest you two go inside and let us help you out."

 

After that, Michael cleared his throat after that, scrunching his nose up again at that. He even rubbed at his throat. " _God_ , OK, very freaky. OK, let's go inside, it's not gonna do that again unless I ask it to or anything."

 

Too shaken to say anything else, Jeremy just nodded and followed Michael inside. He heard the TV going in the living room, where his dad was either passed out or nearly there. He wouldn’t care where Jeremy had been, so no point in saying hello.

 

Once they made it up to Jeremy’s room, he flopped back onto his bed and looked up at Michael. “So, what are we going to do now?”

 

Michael glanced off to the side for a minute before humming softly. "OK, so first thing's first: gimmie your bag." He made the grabby hands until Jeremy tossed him the two shirts he just bought. Reaching in, Michael grabbed the Eminem shirt, quickly removing the tags and stickers before looking through his closet. "We're getting your outfit ready _before_ you wake up so you don't spend so long in the morning figuring out what to wear." A brief pause. "It'll help you figure out way before you wake up if you need to do laundry or not since you're not scrambling quickly in the morning... Huh. Cool, didn't think about it like that."

 

Before Jeremy could say anything, Michael popped out of his closet, the shirt, a clean pair of jeans, and a jacket he wasn't sure if he'd ever even wore before tossed over his arm. "SQUIP says this outfit'll have ‘very favorable outcomes’ for you tomorrow. I was debating with it a little, but yeah, this'll work. Also, you can wear your newer Converse you keep forgetting about." Michael picked up the pair he was talking about before lying the clothes over the back of his desk chair, the shoes by the foot of the chair.

 

It was a bit weird to see Michael suddenly go fashion-guru, especially since he normally just grabbed sweats or a tee, his signature white shoes, and his hoodie, not putting much thought into fashion. He normally went for comfort.

 

Jeremy flailed a little but nodded. This was so weird, but hey, he trusted Michael and Michael obviously trusted the SQUIP.

 

“Erm, okay. Should I bother with contacts or no? Since my glasses won’t really... match the outfit.” Jeremy didn’t like wearing contacts generally, but he did want to look good. He was just glad he had a few sets just in case.

 

Michael seemed to have an internal debate for a few seconds before grumbling a little. "SQUIP says the best option is contacts since you're right on that fact they don't really match. Just in case though, keep your glasses, like, in your backpack in its case in case they dry out or your eyes get irritated or something."

 

“Okay!” Jeremy nodded, grabbing his glasses case from his desk and setting it down on his bedside table. “Y’know. As a reminder.” Jeremy felt a little rush though, knowing that Michael was looking out for him. He knew that SQUIP was pushing for the contacts, but Michael was taking Jeremy’s own preference into account. “Anything else for now?”

 

Michael glanced around the room then before shaking his head. “Nothing else clothing-wise. The next thing SQUIP wants you to work on is just some of the simple things we were working on before, like your posture and stuff.”

 

Jeremy forced himself to straighten his back a little. It was awkward and a little painful, his back wasn’t used to it, but he would try his best. “Erm, okay. How can I do that?”

 

He saw Michael seem to listen but also think before he walked over, sitting beside Jeremy on his bed. “You just imagine it’s like you’re learning this new skill for a game. The more you practice, the easier you get. Anytime we see you not doing it, I’ll do this-“ Michael did the same thing he did easier, pressing his two fingers against his sp- ow! Damn static shock. “-and you’ll know you’re still practicing the skill. Sound good?”

 

Jeremy’s spine straightened automatically with the pressure and shock. Damn, he knew he ran cold and Michael ran hot, but he didn’t often get shocked because of it. Oh well, it’s not like it was especially bad or painful. “Yeah, sounds good.”

 

It was still weird having Michael being so... in charge. Yeah, he was used to him being so gentle but not quite so sure of himself. A SQUIP must be one hell of a drug.

 

Michael smiled wide at that, nodding then before patting his shoulder. “Great! Just start with that in terms of posture, but the other thing is to try hold yourself with more confidence. Like, OK, this will sound stupid, but stand in front of your mirror and repeat what I say.”

 

“Uh, sure? Just don’t make me do the stupid ICUP stuff,” Jeremy joked as he stood up and walked to his mirror hanging on the back of his door.

 

“OK, everything about you is so wonderful.”

 

“Everything about me is so wonderful.”

 

“Great!” Michael had him also self-motivating phrases, telling him to repeat that to himself in the mirror every morning. “It’ll help boost your self confidence, and hopefully you’ll end up believing all that good stuff one day, ‘cause it’s all true.”

 

Jeremy grinned and met Michael’s eyes in the mirror, blushing a little. He glanced away. It was a bit awkward, saying all this stuff, but also just how he was being held. Michael’s holding Jeremy’s arms, just below his shoulders, squeezing him gently.

 

“Sure it is.” He tried to play it off with sarcasm. It was just... it was a bit much. And hearing Michael say it made it even more for some reason.

 

“It is! Dude, see, you need to work on your self-confidence. You trust me, don’t you?” How softly Michael asked him that made him blush a little more before he quickly nodded. “Then trust what I’m telling you, Remy. Trust and believe me and you’ll end up believing in yourself. That’s the key to self-confidence!” Michael gently squeezed his arms once more before pulling back.

 

“I trust you, Mikey.” Jeremy affirmed softly, meeting Michael’s eyes in the mirror again. “And I’ll do whatever you think is best.” That idea made him both excited and nervous for some reason. His gut twisted a little, but he couldn’t tell why.

 

Michael was practically beaming then before he nodded. “Alright, sweet!” He glanced off to the side for a second then. “OK, I need to get going,” he said, voice sounding sad (he always got like this when he had to leave Jeremy). “I’ll text you though and talk to you, OK?” A quick pause. “Oh, also, if you want, I can pick you up for school tomorrow.”

 

“You don’t have-“ Jeremy started, but Michael cut him off.

 

“Hey, you won’t have to worry about the bus. Plus, carpooling with friends to school boosts opinion since it saves on gas and we can hang in the morning,” Michael said with a smile. Yeah sure, Michael offered once he got his license, but Jeremy declined then too, he didn’t want to burden him. Michael’s house was closer to school, and going to pick Jeremy up would be out of the way.

 

“I-... okay then. What time should I be ready for you?” Something about how Michael had phrased that sat oddly with Jeremy, but he couldn’t place what. He shrugged it off for now. He was still a little out of it with everything that had gone on today. Surely he’d feel more comfortable once he’d gotten some rest. And besides, Michael had the SQUIP helping him out, he’d know best with all this now.

 

”Hm... Quarter to seven.” Well, it made sense, but he still couldn’t help but feel a bit bad. Michael normally got up around then since school was a five-minute drive for him, and he normally only took five minutes at most to get ready.”That sound good for you, Remy?”

 

“If you’re sure it’s not too much trouble, then sure.” Jeremy nodded. He needed to trust Michael and that he knew what he was doing and what he was offering. “But if you’re getting up earlier for me, you gotta get home and get some rest. I don’t want you sleep deprived on my account, you’ve already taken the role of my SQUIP as well as my best friend these days.” Jeremy turned around and gave Michael a hug. “I still can’t thank you enough for doing this, Mikey. I almost can’t believe it, if I’m honest.”

 

Michael seemed to melt into the hug as his arms wrapped around Jeremy. “Hey, seeing you happy makes it worth it. Plus, gotta get our money’s worth and all. You still owe me though,” he teased before pulling back and smiling down at Jeremy. “I’ll see you later, Remy.”

 

With that, Michael left and Jeremy watched him get into his car and drive away. Before he did though, Michael was sure to wave at him with a big grin before he pulled out and left.

 

Jeremy sighed as he watched Michael go. He would need to head to bed soon, but there was one more thing he had to do first. Jeremy shifted his desk chair to one side and knelt down next to his computer (he didn’t want to crumple his outfit for tomorrow). Then, he booted up a browser and typed the address into the url bar, grinning as the page loaded. Jeremy started scrolling, trying to find the right one, until one particular link caught his eye.

 

Michael would like Mountain Dew Red as a gift, right? It was discontinued in the nineties, so it was old enough, and considering a SQUIP was activated with green, the red would be ironic. Just Michael’s style. Jeremy clicked buy, using the little money he had left to get it. It would take a full month to arrive but it would be worth it to see the look on Michael’s face when Jeremy got him a soda he didn’t already have.

 

As soon as his purchase was made, Jeremy shut down his computer and got ready for bed. He’d need to look his best tomorrow, so he tried to make sure to actually use the acne cream he was given properly rather than just slapping it on. And he made sure his contact lenses were left in easy reach for the morning. By the time Jeremy had climbed into bed, he was exhausted. It took barely any time at all for him to fall asleep.

 

 

 

When Michael got home, he parked his car and looked over to where the SQUIP was ‘sitting’ in the passenger’s seat. He felt like he was buzzing from even the small successes, and he took a glance at his phone to see that Brooke asked for when they could meet and Chloe text dumping him some music. “Oh my god, this really is... well, insane,” he muttered out as he felt the exhaustion of today hitting him. Michael was totally _not_ used to talking to anyone besides Jeremy except in passing. It was a bit much, and he was so ready for bed.

 

“ **Before you can rest, we’ll need to sort out some things for tomorrow. Don’t worry, you’ve been doing so well so far. I’ll help you finish off these tasks and then we can set you off to bed,** ” SQUIP stated, appearing next to Michael as he climbed out the car. “ **Don’t worry. It shouldn’t take very long at all.** ”

 

‘What exactly do we need to do?’ Michael asked as he opened his back door, grabbing his backpack before he shut and locked the car before walking up his long driveway. ‘Am I supposed to do the same outfit set-up thing? Oh, and have you buy some clothes for me online too?’

 

“ **That’s right. You’ll find the package on your bed, if your mothers followed their usual behaviors. It’ll be a new pair of jeans, three new shirts, and two jackets. I ordered them from the SQUIP supplier, so they arrived within a few hours of ordering.** ” SQUIP kept pace with him, but somehow it still felt like Michael was being lead. “ **I also ensured they’ll be comfortable, so as not to break you focus at all. I understand that can be an issue for you.** ” Well that was actually really nice. “ **Not nice, just practical. But thank you, Michael. I’m doing this for you _and_ Jeremy after all.**” Oh yeah, it could read his thoughts. That would still take some getting used to.

 

‘Yeah, but still,’ Michael thought as he grabbed the house key from his key ring and quickly unlocked the door. “Ina, Mom, I’m home!” he called out into the house, taking his shoes off and putting them into one of the shoe cubbies. When he turned around, he couldn’t help but smile when he saw Ina pop her curly-haired head out of the kitchen.

 

“Hi hun! Your package you ordered is downstairs. Do you think you could be home for dinner tomorrow? Your mom and I’ll both be home for it tomorrow.”

 

Yeah, Mom being a nurse and getting called in at weird hours made it hard, so he took every chance he could. “Of course, Ina, and thank you,” he said as he walked by, quickly kissing her on the cheek as he headed towards the basement. “If you need me, let me know soon. I’m gonna head to bed early.”

 

“You? Going to bed before midnight? Who are you and what have you done with my son?” Ina just laughed it off, waving her hand to him. “I’m good though, hun, but thank you. Goodnight.”

 

“Goodnight Ina,” he said, opening and subsequently shutting the basement door behind himself before he hurried down into his living space.

 

“ **Would you like me to factor in dinner with your mothers tomorrow?** ” SQUIP asked from where it was ‘perched’ on Michael’s desk chair.

 

‘Well yeah, I don’t really want to miss out on a chance to spend time with Mom.’

 

Michael shot it a weird look, but it merely shrugged. “ **I’m still getting a sense for your priorities, Michael. I’m simply calibrating myself. Now, open your package.** ”

 

Michael nodded and did as instructed and was pleasantly surprised to see the SQUIP’s clothing choice for him. It somehow kept the slightly nerdy vibe while also looking much more sleek and tidy than he had ever pulled off. The jeans were black and what he guessed was a nice cut, but they were also stretchy so they wouldn’t be too tight on him at any point and would leave room for movement. The shirts were mostly plain with a little bit of gaming twisted in. The first was black and had a small, gold Triforce on the bottom corner, the second was light blue and had a D-pad on the breast pocket, and the third was dark blue and had a small Pac-Man ghost pattern around the hemlines and sleeves. The jackets were comfortable but mostly plain, one blue and black and the other light blue and red.

 

“ **You should wear the Pac-Man shirt, and the blue and black jacket tomorrow. Combine it with your newer white converses,** ” SQUIP instructed, looking over the clothes critically. “ **I thought, since you have the tattoo and you’re already known for your love of video games, I’d play up the aesthetic while also giving you an updated look.** ”

 

Michael couldn’t help but squirm a little at the idea of going without his hoodie, but the SQUIP already seemed to have that covered. “ **I am not removing it from your cycle, Michael, I am simply helping you. If you and Jeremy are going to rise in the ranks, you have to make small sacrifices, like not wearing your hoodie every day. Let it rest and let it get washed. It’ll do you some good, I promise.** ”

 

Michael let out a sigh as he looked over the clothes, rubbing his fingers against the fabric of the jacket. It really did feel comfortable, but the sudden change still made him iffy.

 

“ **Hey, I promise you that tomorrow will go well. You trust me, don’t you?** ”

 

‘I mean yeah, of course I do.’

 

“ **Then listen to me, Michael. Everything will get even better if you do, for you and especially for Jeremy.** ”

 

‘I... Alright.’

 

“ **My sole purpose is to make your life and Jeremy’s life better. Anything and everything I do is to improve life for the both of you.** ” SQUIP stood and walked over, resting its hands on Michael’s shoulder. His clothes didn’t move, of course, but he could feel the pressure as though it was actually touching him. “ **I can stimulate your nerves to replicate the sensation of touch. Just relax and trust me.** ” It rubbed at Michael’s shoulders a little and okay, wow, that did feel kinda nice. Michael felt himself relax a little just from that, tension bleeding out of him slowly but surely.

 

As he let himself relax, he couldn’t help but notice his SQUIP seeming to do something to the side. He wanted to ask what it was doing, but he just got a reassuring look and a promise that he’d know tomorrow.

 

“ **I think you should get ready for bed now, especially since we’re waking up earlier than normal tomorrow. We have to let your body adjust.** ”

 

Michael just nodded, rubbing at his eyes as he quickly got changed and ready for bed. He put his glasses onto his side table, plugged in his phone, and curled up in bed. ‘Oh, uh, what do you do when I’m asleep? Do you go into some sleep mode of your own or...?’

 

“ **I’ll be processing today’s memories and computing possible outcomes for tomorrow. Essentially dreaming in the loosest sense of the word. Don’t worry about setting your alarm, I’ll ensure you wake up at the correct time.** ”

 

‘Ah, OK... Goodnight I guess?’ he offered before lying his head down and getting comfortable.

 

“ **Goodnight, Michael, sleep well. We have a big day tomorrow.** ”


	3. Help Them to Help Jeremy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo folks! Glad to see you joining us all for another lovely and painful day. :')) This chapter is the best approximation I think we'll get of 'Sync Up' as a song, though it doesn't end right at play rehearsal. We /do/ get more time with some of the other characters along with Jeremy, Michael, and Michael's SQUIP, however. I quite enjoy this chapter's interactions, so I hope you enjoy them too. Also, thanks for all of your amazing support. It means the world to Mara and I. <3
> 
>  
> 
> And now, a word from Mara:
> 
> 'Hey lovelies! The support we’ve gotten has been insane??? You guys are just so amazing! Tysm!
> 
> This chapter sees Jeremy and Michael make some new friends as they explore the capabilities of the SQUIP. Michael seems happy, and so does Jeremy, but who knows exactly what the SQUIP is intending. Not everything it does is... conventional after all. Enjoy!'

Michael found that he awoke very sweetly the next morning. His dream, which he couldn’t really remember, had come to a close and when his eyes fluttered open, he felt alert and relaxed. Well rested for what may be the first time in his life.

 

“ **Good morning, Michael,** ” a voice greeted him from his desk chair. Looking over, he could only make out a whirs and... blue(?) blob. He reached out for his glasses, holding back his urge to yell out for help. He couldn’t seem to muster up any sort of fear response though, and he couldn’t seem to find his glasses either. “ **Relax Michael. It’s just me, your SQUIP. Lie down for a second, relax your thoughts.** ”

 

His SQUIP?... Oh shit, right, the whole SQUIP thing! How the hell did he forget about that? Now that he knew that it was there and not some intruder, Michael felt himself relax and lie back down, though he couldn’t help but frown. “G’morning-“

 

“ **Think at me, Michael, remember?** ”

 

‘Oh right, sorry.’

 

“ **It’s quite alright, you’re still adjusting and no one is around or awake to have heard you slip up.** ”

 

Michael’s head hurt a little, probably because he was trying to process everything that had happened yesterday, catching himself back up to where he was supposed to be mentally this morning. “ **Would you like me to assist with your headache, Michael?** ” SQUIP asked, concern lacing its tone. “ **Also, your glasses are missing. I can’t seem to detect what might have happened to them.** ”

 

‘I could’ve sworn I put them on my bedside table, I always put them next to my phone,’ he thought out as he looked over to unceremoniously see that they, in fact, weren’t there. ‘But yeah, please. I don’t know what I did to make my head hurt. You don’t have some sort of side effect that causes headaches or migraines, right?’

 

“ **Not at all. SQUIPs are designed to integrate with the user, to the point where it’s almost impossible to tell where one ends and the other begins. There isn’t a chance that my basic existence is hurting you,** ” SQUIP stated sort of reassuringly. It was a little too business-like to be properly comforting, but it did help ease his worries a little. “ **What is more likely is that you got overwhelmed with everything and that triggered the sensation of pain without any pain being present. Here-** “ SQUIP touched Michael’s forehead and the pain vanished. “- **That should help you. As for your glasses, I can’t see them but I can assist in a different way. With your permission, I’ll connect to your optic nerve and just make it better, so you won’t need the glasses at all.** ”

 

Well, technology was supposed to help the world, and it certainly was helping him out this morning. Granted, he loved the geeky vibe he got from his glasses, but he had a schedule to keep. He needed to pick Jeremy up for school. ‘Yeah, sure, just until we can find my glasses.’

 

“ **Of course.** ”

 

With the literal blink of an eye, Michael’s world went from blurry to crystal clear, even clearer than when he wore his glasses. He was a bit startled by the stark difference, looking around his large room before getting out of bed. “Woah...”

 

“ **I’ve enhanced your vision to the best possible condition it can be as a human. Now, time to get up and ready, you need to get Jeremy this morning. I’ll give you some privacy for the shower, just make sure it’s cool and that you’re out fifteen minutes after getting in because that’s when I’ll be reappearing.** ” SQUIP sat back down in the computer chair, looking pleased. “ **You’ve done so well so far, Michael. Keep up the great work.** ’

 

Michael couldn’t help but feel a bit of pride well up in his chest at that. ‘I mean, I’m partial to hot showers, but I’ll try,’ he thought to SQUIP before he went into the bathroom, not feeling the full presence of it as he quickly got himself cleaned up. The cooler shower helped him to get done quicker, and he was out, drying and styling his hair. Somehow, he was able to slightly alter how he got his hair ready, styling it with some gel and making it look the best in, well... _ever_. Maybe the fact that he didn’t have to do it somewhat blind that made him better this time around, since he couldn’t normally do it with his glasses on. Huh.

 

Actually, looking over himself, he looked really good overall. More mature somehow... Maybe it was the small things, like his better posture and stuff. Either way, he didn’t look like a tall child anymore. He actually looked like a teenager, maybe even a proper young adult. It was freaky, but also kinda awesome.

 

Well damn, those little changes really did so a long way then. Michael just beamed at himself in the mirror then as he quickly finished drying himself off before he entered into his room, towel around his waist.

 

He looked over his new clothes with a little trepidation before quickly getting dressed. As promised, the clothes were very comfortable and they fit perfectly. Even though they didn’t match up to his hoodie, he could probably deal with these.

 

“ **You look good, Michael. Come have a look at yourself in the mirror now that you’re all dressed.** ”

 

Michael fiddled with the sleeve hem of his jacket as he walked over to the mirror. ‘I thought you guys were just some illegal, back alley kinda untested technology, how do you guys have clothes and everything?’ Michael couldn’t help but question as he looked at himself in the mirror.

 

Admittedly, he didn’t look good. He looked amazing. Though he did miss his hoodie and glasses, feeling a bit off without them, he looked slick and stylish, pulling off the mix of nerdy and fashionable really well. He looked more put-together than he ever had before for school, even more so than when Ina used to help him get ready for school as a little kid.

 

“ **Our primary goal usually is to assist people becoming cool and successful. My creators invested in whatever would make that as easy as possible for the users,** ” SQUIP explained, walking up behind him. “ **You remember those mantras you gave Jeremy? I’d like you to also repeat them, every morning. It’ll be good for your confidence too, Michael.** ”

 

Michael, of course, squirmed a little at the idea. He did initially just plan for it to be Jeremy doing that, he felt a bit weird doing that... but Jeremy was doing this too. If him doing this would help Jeremy, he’d do it (plus, if he really thought about it, Michael could definitely use that self-confidence boost, even if he acted like he didn’t). After some hesitation, he repeated them to himself, finishing a minute later. ‘Yeah, OK, I get why Jeremy felt so weird about doing that now.’

 

“ **I know. But to be the most effective guide for Jeremy, you also need to improve yourself so you can stay around the same social level as him. Which is why I’ve reorganized your schedule to match his now. You’re in the same grade and class level, so I simply hacked the school system and gave you the same time table. And you will need to start tutoring Jeremy three times a week to improve both of your grades.** ” SQUIP held Michael’s shoulders again and guided him over to his backpack by the door. “ **I’ll answer any more questions you have while in the car, we need to get going to be there to meet Jeremy in time.** ”

 

Michael picked up his backpack then, making sure to grab his keys and something to eat and drink when at school. As he got in his car, turning it on, Michael glanced over at where SQUIP situated itself in the passenger's seat. ‘Why do I have to go through so much to help to help him? Jeremy’s already great how he is, isn’t he? He doesn’t need to go through all this to get more friends and get with Christine.’

 

SQUIP looked regretful. “ **Unfortunately, most people are very judgmental. Unless you meet a certain standard, they won’t talk to you. So this is just to kick-start Jeremy’s ride to popularity, nothing more. Once people know who he is, he can relax a little. And you need to be held to the same standard so as not to hold him back.** ” SQUIP sighed, rubbing its cheek. “ **Humans aren’t very easy to work with, sadly, but we can both do whatever it takes to make Jeremy happy.** ”

 

Michael seemed to think that over as he backed out of the driveway and started on his way to Jeremy’s house. ‘I mean, there are a lot of different ways to be popular... I just...’ He let out a sigh as he drove. ‘I just want him to be happy, but I don’t want him to be miserable while we’re trying to make him happy.’

 

“ **Sometimes you need to give up a little happiness to have a happier future. We’ll do everything possible to keep Jeremy happy while we do this, you know him better than anyone so you can do it, but it might just be a bit uncomfortable to start with is all,** ” SQUIP explained, but it didn’t sound happy about it. “ **Sometimes we also give things up for what we think is the betterment of everything. Like how you’re willing to help Jeremy get with Christine despite the fact that you’re in love with him and he’s bisexual. And interested in you, even if it’s unconscious at the moment.** ” Michael would have swerved just out of shock from hearing that stated so plainly, but his hands remained steady. He assumed the SQUIP did that so he didn’t crash.

 

‘Wh- OK, I get that you know that, but holy shit, don’t give that all to me while I’m driving! And he does _not_ like me like that. Just because he’s bisexual and doesn’t know it doesn’t mean anything,’ Michael argued, feeling his sudden elevated heartbeat start to calm a little. ‘And I’m different, I’m doing this to help Jeremy, not me. He comes first and foremost in all of this, not me.’

 

“ **If you’re sure...** ” SQUIP zoned out a little, possibly reworking some of it’s algorithms or something. “ **Don’t worry, Michael. We’ll do everything we can to make Jeremy the happiest he can be and to give him the best future possible.** ” Michael turned down Jeremy’s driveway a few minutes later. “ **I’ve sent him a text for you, he should be down in a moment.** ”

 

‘Thank you.’ Michael sighed as he parked his car for now, quickly going and eating some of the granola bar he grabbed for himself. ‘Is there anything I gotta do before he comes out, or can I eat in peace?’

 

“ **You can eat, we have five minutes before we need to leave, which should be the perfect amount of time to finish everything that needs doing.** ” Well _that_ was cryptic. What could possibly need doing in five minutes?

 

Jeremy poked his head out the front door a few seconds after SQUIP said that, looking a little uncomfortable and quite different but Michael had to admit, he looked good. The clothing was perfect for showing off his best features, and the colors complimented his skin well. The lack of glasses made his eyes stand out better too.

 

Jeremy froze when he looked through the passenger window, but then slipped in (SQUIP teleported to the back seat). “Hi! You- er- you look really good, Michael. I almost didn’t recognize you...” Jeremy mumbled quickly, face a little flushed.

 

"Thanks, I almost didn't recognize myself either," he admitted as he smiled at Jeremy. "You look really good too, but you look a bit uncomfortable." He couldn't help but worry as he looked over Jeremy a little more (no, it wasn't because he liked him like that, he was genuinely concerned). "Are you feeling alright?"

 

Jeremy nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just not used to any of this stuff and I’m missing my cardigan,” he admitted with a shrug. “Plus, it’s so weird to be wearing contacts. I keep thinking I’m gonna smack my glasses off or something.” He chuckled, relaxing a little. Okay, that was good. Michael didn’t want Jeremy to be uncomfortable. “Are you wearing contacts too? I thought you couldn’t handle them.”

 

“ **Explain what we’ve done, but also fix up his hair. I’ll help you with it,** ” SQUIP instructed, reaching over and sort of phasing it’s hand into Michael’s. Their hands worked together to style Jeremy’s hair a little.

 

"SQUIP and I couldn't find my glasses this morning, so it fixed my vision through my optic nerves and stuff. Like, I can see even better than I could with my glasses. It's a bit jarring still," he admitted, sticking his tongue out a little as they worked together to fix Jeremy's hair. "There we go." Pulling back, he smiled as he saw Jeremy's hair in it's perfect style, complimenting his outfit almost perfectly (everything would be perfect to Michael if Jeremy had his cardigan and glasses to make him more comfortable). "Oh, and SQUIP also changed my schedule up so instead of us having two classes together, we got all of them together! The dream, right?"

 

“Dude, that’s fucking _awesome_!” Jeremy appeared to forget his discomfort entirely as he grinned up at Michael.

 

“ **One more thing before we go, I need you to place two fingers on the top of his spine, just below his skull. It’ll cause a slight pinching sensation for a second, but it’ll be useful. I promise.** ”

 

‘Why? What’ll it do?’ Michael asked, curious and slightly worried about the request. The SQUIP sighed.

 

“ **It’ll allow us to help manipulate his hormones a little, trigger him to release pheromones and such to make him more attractive to Christine.** ” SQUIP met Michael’s eyes in the rear-view mirror. “ **If this is going to work, you need to trust me Michael. I’m only doing what’s best for Jeremy.** ”

 

Michael kept himself from grimacing at that as he looked to Jeremy then, who looked curiously at him. "What's up? Did the SQUIP tell you to do something?"

 

"Yeah, I just need to rest my fingers somewhere. It'll pinch for a second or two, but it'll help, I promise," Michael reassured him. Jeremy nodded, and he let Michael rest his two fingers as SQUIP instructed and guided. "It's going to help you release pheromones and stuff, to help with Christine and all."

 

Jeremy flinched a little but then relaxed, slumping bonelessly against the seat with a happy sigh. “That wasn’t so bad.”

 

“ **We need to ensure it worked. Two fingers pressed into the muscle of his left shoulder.** ” Michael hesitated then did as he was told. Jeremy shifted, then dozed off with a small sigh and a happy grin. “ **We can wake him up when we get to school. He’s really tired, didn’t sleep too well from what I can tell.** ”

 

Michael just hummed softly, both to Jeremy and the SQUIP before he took his car out of park and started driving to the school. 'Normally he sleeps fine, he goes to bed way earlier than I normally do...'

 

“ **It’s probably because of how much things changed yesterday. Change can cause strange sleep patterns. I’ll analyze his behavior for you today and see how best to help him.** ”

 

'Alright, that sounds good.' After that, it didn't take as long as Michael thought for them to get to school. He parked the car in a pretty good spot, turning the engine off as he went and took a swig from his water bottle.

 

He finished it off before reaching over, gently shaking Jeremy by his shoulder. "Hey Remy, we're at school. Time t'get up."

 

Jeremy grumbled a little and sat up, looking up at Michael with a dazed grin. “Guess the pinchy thing worked then?” he asked sleepily. At SQUIP’s prompting, Michael restyled Jeremy’s hair with a nod.

 

“Apparently.”

 

“ **You have fifteen minutes until you need to head to home room. Chloe and Brooke will be by their lockers, the hallway adjacent to where your lockers are.** ”

 

Michael hummed softly and turned off the car before reaching into the backseat and grabbing his backpack. "C'mon Sleeping Beauty, we gotta meet up with Chloe and Brooke." He just grinned at the pout he got from Jeremy before getting out of the car, locking it after Jeremy got out, and heading in.

 

As they walked through the halls, Michael couldn't help but, despite the fact SQUIP was keeping his back straight and keeping him looking a bit more confident, feel uncomfortable. He normally blocked all this noise out with his headphones. Michael missed the familiar weight around his neck and shoulders, but he tried to keep that fact hidden as he led Jeremy to where Brooke and Chloe were hanging.

 

“ **I’ll make it more bearable, if you’ll allow me to adjust some things?** ” SQUIP offered, following them closely.

 

Michael glanced to SQUIP, though it just looked to anyone else that he was checking over his shoulder to look at his backpack. 'Yeah, sure, if it'll help.'

 

Michael felt a sort of tingle along his scalp, like he was using a head massager. Then it stopped and the noise of the hallway became a lot more bearable. It was loud, but not uncomfortable anymore. It was almost like he was _meant_ to be there, it was so easy to deal with now. “ **Better?** ”

 

“Dude, you feeling okay?” Jeremy asked. “This is probably hard without your he-!”

 

“Yo, Tall Ass. Where’s my money?” Rich growled as he grabbed Jeremy by the front of his shirt and pinned him against the nearest locker.

 

“ **I’ll sort this out, you explain to Rich our situation. Properly introduce yourself and tell him that you’re effectively Jeremy’s SQUIP. It’ll make things easier for him to understand.** ” The moment SQUIP said that, Rich flinched, let go of Jeremy, and looked him over with confusion.

 

“You’ve got one, but the signal isn’t _on_ you? What?”

 

Michael stepped over then, even if he hated to be near Rich. He was their bully since sophomore year after all, and he just pinned Jeremy against a locker! Despite that, he just cleared his throat, watching as Rich's attention shifted to him. "That's because it's coming from me. _I'm_ Michael, you know, Anti-Social Headphones Kid. I'm essentially Jeremy's SQUIP since I took it," he explained, giving the best smile that he could to Rich. "Hopefully we can get along now since Jeremy and I both _technically_ have a SQUIP?"

 

“ **Very well done, Michael! That was beautifully handled!** ” SQUIP praised. Rich looked shocked for a second, looking up at Michael before quickly smoothing out Jeremy’s shirt.

 

“Sorry, dude, that was out of line. Yeah, I’d like to be friends. I mean, I could have used the money, but...” He mumbled that last part.

 

“ **Build a connection. His father drinks and is a deadbeat. Rich is essentially alone in the world since his older brother Curtis went off to college and hasn’t come back.** ”

 

Michael could work with that. He reached over, carefully resting his hand on Rich's shoulder and gave him a soft smile. Normally, he wouldn't be as likely to talk to Rich like this, but he couldn't help but agree that he needed to build this connection. It would help Jeremy, after all. "Hey, if you need people to hang with or a place to stay or something, Jeremy or I could totally help you out. Like, I've... had some bad times myself, but I've been able to get through them thanks to Jeremy. If you need any help, even if it's just someone to sit with or someone to share space with, the door's open." All of that, well, was true. He'd had rough patches, and Jeremy _did_ help him. SQUIP was certainly helping too now. Maybe, if SQUIP was insistent, he could help Rich out too. Michael couldn't imagine being left alone like Rich apparently had.

 

Rich looks suspicious for a second, but then his eyes flickered (just barely) over Michael’s shoulder. He must be listening to his SQUIP.

 

“Y-Yeah! And hey, d’you like video games? ‘Cause we got a shit ton between us. Maybe we could all hang out sometime?” Jeremy offered, picking up on what Michael was doing. He was glad they knew each other so well, it meant Jeremy could almost always figure out what Michael needed him to do.

 

“Wait, really?” Rich asked, looking hopeful and almost vulnerable. Jeremy and Michael both nodded. “Yeah, that would be cool! It’d be nice to get out of the house and away from my asshole dad for a while.”

 

“Let’s go to Michael’s then, since my dad just sits around all day and hogs the living room.” Jeremy shrugged and Rich chuckled.

 

“ **You’re both doing so well! Get his number then detach yourselves for now; you and Jeremy need to get going and Rich is off to meet Jake. You have ten minutes before you need to head to home room which is still plenty of time to meet Chloe and Brooke.** ”

 

Michael mentally nodded to SQUIP before smiling at Rich. "Yeah, I got a huge basement and we can totally just relax and snack," he reassured Rich, who seemed a lot more comfortable when Michael handed his phone over. "Oh, also, put an emoji next to your name, whatever you want."

 

"Oh, uh, alright."

 

"Yeah, just think about what games you might wanna play. I got a lot of classic systems and some cool new stuff too," Michael offered before he got his phone back, which he pocketed.

 

"Yeah, I'll definitely do that." Rich glanced over them for a second and gave a shaky, apologetic smile. "Sorry for all that stuff. My SQUIP told me to do all that, but you guys actually seem pretty cool, especially if you got a SQUIP of your own. I guess I'll see you later."

 

Michael smiled and waved as Rich turned the corner before continuing along to where he was leading Jeremy. "Man, that was exhausting. Thanks for going along with me there, Remy," Michael thanked as they went along, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

 

“Sure thing dude. You handle that... really well. Like I’ve never seen you so collected.” Jeremy sounded impressed.

 

“ **He _is_ impressed,**” SQUIP added proudly. “ **As am I. You’re already shaping up to be a perfect guide for Jeremy. As soon as you’re comfortable again, take your hands out of your pockets.** ”

 

Michael felt that pride and good feeling welling inside him at the praise he was receiving. He felt good enough to take his hands out of his pockets, holy shit. "Well, SQUIP definitely helped with that, but you just backing me up helped me more than I can say. Remember, it's a two-player game, dude, and I can't do this without you," Michael told him, gently elbowing Jeremy in the side with a smile before they rounded the corner where Chloe and Brooke were.

 

Brooke was listening to Chloe rant, and Michael could hear it was about something involving Jake. " **From what I can tell, Jake broke up with her very recently and she is still upset about it. She thinks no one cares about her, though you two yesterday seemed to help. Brooke is trying to listen and help, feeling that her feelings are not being noticed. Once again, you two helped with that yesterday. Continue to help with the nine minutes you have left before you two need to go to your home room.** "

 

Michael put on his best smile then as he waved, catching the girls' attention as he and Jeremy approached. "Hey Brooke, nice cardigan. Hey Chloe! I'm working on a good mix CD for you, I'm getting the songs you asked for as well as some I think you'd like from my own personal library."

 

“Hey, Mikey!” Brooke grinned and Jeremy sort of stumbled a little. “Hey Jere! Thanks! And damn, you both look _good_!”

 

“Thanks, Mell. But I gotta agree with Brooke, you are both looking downright delectable. If you were straight, I’d be tempted to eat you right up,” Chloe playfully flirted, eyeing Michael first then moving over to Jeremy. “Same goes for you, Jere,” she half purred and Jeremy almost collapsed there. It was only Michael’s hand on his back (pressing where his SQUIP told him to to trigger a calming point) that kept him going.

 

“ **And you’re looking beautiful as always Chloe, but how are you today?** ”

 

Michael repeated what SQUIP told him too because, even if he was gay, he could at least tell that she looked beautiful. Chloe seemed to soften at the genuine praise and care with that question before she shut her locker then. "Well, I was just telling Brookie here about some stuff with Jake. Ugh, he sucks, I can't believe he's already moved on so quickly."

 

"Yeah, he does-"

 

" _Brooke_!"

 

"I mean he's _amazing_ ," Brooke quickly corrected, back against the lockers.

 

"Well, it's alright to be upset about someone breaking up with you when you weren't ready for that," Michael reassured her, which seemed to take both Chloe and Brooke off guard. "I think you're more than just being his girlfriend though. Yeah, it's gonna suck for a while and you're used to being with him, but I think you're a strong, beautiful, independent woman who should care for herself first before worrying about another boy or girl in her life like that."

 

Brooke and Chloe looked genuinely surprised, and Jeremy looked over at Michael proudly.

 

“ **Wonderfully said, Michael.** ” Another rush of pride and just general good feelings hit him. Maybe talking to other people wasn’t so bad after all.

 

“You’re right, Michael. I _am_ more than just his girlfriend. And I deserve better than someone who runs off with the nearest available arm-candy as soon as we broke it off.” Chloe nodded.

 

“You both deserve better than what you got, but I’m glad you’re out of the bad relationships now,” Jeremy added quietly, and Michael knew he was being genuine. Jeremy might _act_ like an ass sometimes but he cared a lot about most people.

 

Brooke looked even more surprised, but she smiled shyly at the both of them.

 

“ **Would you like advice or are you happy to proceed yourself?** ”

 

‘I...’ Normally, he only liked to give his own advice, but SQUIP had been so helpful. It made him feel more comfortable, had been helping Jeremy, and was helping him get connected with the most popular girls, even befriending them. Obviously SQUIP knew what it was doing...

 

‘Sure, why not, give me your best shot.’

 

“ **Then repeat after me.** ” SQUIP sounded like it was smiling which was good, right? “ **’No need to look so surprised, Brooke. We both can tell you’re a lovely and unique person. Your last boyfriend didn’t know what he was giving up. You deserve so much better than him.’ Gesture between yourself and Jeremy, then give her a gentle smile and lightly pat her shoulder.** ”

 

Michael did just that, even if it was twisted a little to be in his own words (which SQUIP approved of), before he went through with it’s approved actions. Brooke seemed to beam at that before reaching over and hugging him. “Aw, Mikey... Thank you so much,” she said, gratitude leaking through her tone before Michael hugged her back as well.

 

“Of course. You’re both your own people, you deserve to know that and how important you are, Brooke.”

 

“As much as I hate to say it, we need to get to homeroom. We’re over with Mr. Smith so we need to get moving to make it there on time.” Chloe sighed, lightly tugging on Brooke’s shoulder. She released Michael and beamed at him and then over at Jeremy, who had stayed quiet thus far.

 

“She’s right, but you two should totally come sit with us at lunch. I’d love to talk more about your opinions on Dark Phoenix, Jere.” She shot him a wink before being dragged off by a giggling Chloe. They both called their goodbyes and waved at them as the left.

 

That had gone... amazingly. Maybe Michael should default to the SQUIP more often. It seemed to not only know exactly what Michael wanted to say but also how to do it in a way that was ‘to an appropriate standard’ that the popular people would take both him and Jeremy seriously.

 

“ **As I said, I only want to help you with your goal of helping Jeremy. I won’t steer you wrong, Michael.** ”

 

Jeremy still looked a little dazed, probably because he had just been flirted with by Chloe Valentine and Brooke Lohst had _winked_ at him.

 

Michael smiled as he looked down at Jeremy then, grabbing him by his shoulder and gently shaking him. “Hey Remy, c’mon, let's get going. You can daydream about what just happened in home room while Mr. Canonico lets us do whatever,” he told him, watching as Jeremy sort of came back to.

 

“Wh-“ Jeremy’s face warmed up then at that before sputtering. “Dude!”

 

Michael laughed as he walked with Jeremy then, giving him a huge grin. “Hey, you know I’m teasing because I know who you like. Plus, they’re just friends. Also, think on how good for us it’ll be with us sitting with them at lunch!”

 

Jeremy’s grin seemed to dim for a second before it grew brighter than ever. “And we’ll be _together_ in this. Honestly, I don’t think I could do this without you, even without you having the SQUIP.”

 

“ **You bring out the best in him for everyone to see.** ” SQUIP grinned and patted his shoulder, taking its physical form again. It had turned into just a voice while with the girls.

 

Michael just smiled a bit wider at that before leaning his head against Jeremy’s, sure not to mess up his hair in the process. “Aww, you’re being so sappy, Remy!” he almost cooed out before pulling back to open the door to their homeroom. “After you, my good sir,” Michael said with a faux-British accent, going as far as bowing.

 

Jeremy bowed back before entering the room. Michael and the SQUIP followed behind. Almost instantly, Rich waved at them with a relaxed grin. “Hey nerds! How’s it going?”

 

Jeremy looked ready to bolt for a second before he relaxed and shot a grin back. (Michael had to do the relaxation point again, just for a second to let Jeremy’s brain engage.)

 

“Hey Rich! Got any lunch plans? We’re eating with Brooke and Chloe.”

 

“Whoa, you already scored points with Valentine _and_ Lohst? Shit dude, you work fast. Yeah, I can join you. Jakey-D’s gonna be eating off campus with the Frisbee team or some shit.”

 

“ **Please correct him about your relationship with Chloe and Brooke. Rich is a bit of a gossip and he will spread rumors to Jenna by accident if he’s not corrected now, which would filter back to Christine and look bad for Jeremy. I’ll remind his SQUIP to work on that issue with him.** ”

 

Michael mentally nodded before sitting down at his desk (they originally shared this class together before). “What? No, we just talked to them and hung with them for a bit. No funny business or anything like that. Just because they’re girls doesn’t mean they’re only valued for that kinda stuff,” Michael pointed out. “They’re really cool girls, and I’m glad we’re becoming friends with them! Plus, Chloe’s worth more than her former relationship with Jake.”

 

“Yeah, Jake feels really shitty about what went down between them.” Rich nodded sagely.

 

“Maybe we can sort something out so they can at least have ended it _properly_ and on good terms. Bad blood isn’t good for any party involved,” Jeremy added, taking his seat.

 

“ **That would be a good idea. Praise Jeremy on my behalf please, and maybe press just here to add a physical aspect too. It’ll make him feel good and more relaxed.** ” SQUIP pointed to a spot on Jeremy’s back. “ **Then encourage the reunion. It’ll be beneficial for Jake Dillinger to join your friend group, as he is the most popular student and he’s interested in Christine. It’ll give Jeremy a better chance of being in close proximity with her.** ”

 

Michael hummed as he leaned forward a little to get closer to Jeremy since desks were a little further apart. "Good idea Remy!" He reached over, as if to wrap his arm around his shoulder. Ever so subtly, he pressed his hand against the spot on his back as he went around and hugged Jeremy with one arm. "That'll definitely be a good idea. After all, we all have two more years with each other, and Jake and Chloe seem to both still really care about each other."

 

“They do from what I’ve seen.” Rich nodded, looking thoughtful. Jeremy, on the other hand, looked really happy, almost blissfully so. Michael guessed it was because of the pressure point but also because of the fact that he was having a nice conversation with Rich himself, and possibly expanding his friend group.

 

“ **That’s right. Jeremy is a cocktail of good emotions right now, which not only is great for his mood but it also is attractive to others. People like happy people. You’re both doing so well,** ” SQUIP explained proudly. They were doing it! Jeremy was becoming popular and being happy!

 

 

 

The day continued to go well for them, leading Jeremy through a seemingly perfect day. It continued all the way to lunch, and Michael could see Jeremy bouncing with excitement and pride and _confidence_! Yes, this all was working! Who knew the few things he and SQUIP did could do so much for Jeremy?

 

He walked into the cafeteria then with Jeremy, looking around and quickly spotting the girls. Brooke was waving at them from their table, Chloe busy talking with Jenna Rolan who was seemingly hashing some gossip with her. Yeah, that's the only time he ever heard them talk, honestly, was when Jenna told Chloe about new gossip... Wow, that's honesty so sad…

 

He decided he’d make a point of talking to Jenna. “ **That’s a good idea. Jenna would surely appreciate someone as genuine as you taking an interest in her well-being,** ” SQUIP praised.

 

“Hey guys! Would it be okay if Rich joined us? He has nowhere else to sit since he was kinda abandoned today for lunch.” Jeremy grinned as he slipped into the seat opposite Brooke. Michael slipped into the seat next to him, opposite Chloe.

 

“Sure, it’s fine with me so long as he actually is polite and shit. He’s a bit of an ass, but I trust your guys’ judgement.” Brooke shrugged before launching straight into a comic book topic which Michael could only half follow.

 

“ **You’re starting to build a reputation for the both of you as genuine, kind people. That is the sort of person someone like Christine will be into if my calculations are correct. Even if the effects aren’t immediate, she should find that aspect of Jeremy very attractive.** ”

 

'Good,' he thought, though an idea came to mind that made him internally squirm. Jeremy wanted so badly to date Christine, but... what if Christine genuinely wasn't interested in him?

 

" **There's no way she won't be, Michael. After all, you're interested in him, so why wouldn't she be?** " SQUIP pointed out before noticing something else. " **Oh, Chloe is about to try to engage in conversation with you. Try to bring Jenna into the conversation and show that genuine interest in her.** "

 

"So, Mell, you're a tech-savvy dude with all that video-game know-how, right?" Michael tuned back in and nodded. "Do you think you could help me with some issues I'm having with my phone?"

 

"Uh, sure, I could try." He took the phone, a bit honored that he was given something as sacred as the most popular girl's _phone_.

 

" **I'll handle this, you focus on getting Jenna involved in conversation.** " With silent permission, Michael felt his fingers go, solving a problem he didn't even know about.

 

“So, Michael, tell me. Do you have any records?” Chloe asked, ignoring the fact that Jenna slumped ever so slightly next to her. Well that just wouldn’t do, would it? Luckily, Michael had the perfect idea on how to engage her.

 

“Do I have records?” Michael snorted, shooting her a grin. “Of course I do, and cassettes too. Bought almost all of them in this really awesome shop not too far from the school actually. Wait, you’re Jenna, right? Jenna Rolan? Isn’t it your dad’s shop?” Jenna looked startled.

 

“Yeah it is. I work there when I don’t have any extracurricular groups.” She nodded awkwardly. Now it was Chloe’s turn to look startled.

 

“Wait, that’s your dad’s store? That’s one of my favorite places to shop! I’m always there whenever I need a break!” Jenna smiled shyly.

 

“If you guys like I could show you the back room with all the rarer records sometime? Since you both seem so interested.”

 

"I mean, if you're alright with doing that. Do you have an interest in any of that stuff?"

 

Jenna scoffed a little at that, seeming to gain more confidence. " _Do_ I? I wouldn't be able to stand working there if I didn't, especially with some of the snobbier customers that come in," she started before beginning to go into some accounts of some crazy customers that came in from time-to-time.

 

By the time Jenna finished one story about someone who tried to gatekeep Jenna on something she practically grew up with, Rich sat down, next to Michael and across from Jenna. "Hey Rich!" Michael said, smile wide before he handed Chloe's phone back to her. Well, looked like SQUIP fixed the issue, whatever it was. "Here you go, Chloe, all fixed. And don't worry, you don't have to pay me. Your company is payment enough."

 

“Smooth, Mell. That was damned smooth.” Rich chuckled as Chloe started checking through her phone.

 

“Hey, were you guys talking records? ‘Cause I can confirm that Michael has an awesome collection. We usually listen to them when we’re chilling or I’m drawing,” Jeremy chimed in, leaning on Michael’s shoulder.

 

“You draw?” Rich asked and Jeremy nodded.

 

“Yeah, I do a bit. And paint. I’m not very good, but it’s fun.” Everyone was looking over at Jeremy curiously, though Jenna and Rich seemed especially excited.

 

“ **Talk him up! We both know his art is amazing! And everyone else deserves to know!** ” Even if he didn’t need that prompt, it was good to know the SQUIP agreed and approved.

 

“Psh, Jeremy is his own worst critic. Jeremy’s one of the best artists I’ve seen. He does some people, but he’s amazing at making landscapes and replicating scenes. Seriously, he’s made stuff for me to hang in my room and even _still_ keeps apologizing because he doesn’t think it’s good enough,” Michael elaborated, even as Jeremy’s face flushed at the truth he was spilling.

 

“Wait, what? That sounds amazing. How come you haven’t taken any art classes then?” Brooke asked with wide eyes.

 

“He’s too shy and also wants to draw whatever he wants. The art classes here make you draw something they want you to draw. I took it for my freshman year to see if Jeremy should take it and was glad he turned it down. There were some artists who were amazing who almost gave up drawing because of how harsh and terrible Mr. Yobe is.”

 

“It’s true, he’s a hard ass who seems to think crushing your soul is the best way to make you a great artist,” Jenna grumbled, poking at her salad with a lot more force than probably necessary.

 

“You do art, Jenna?” Jeremy questioned, clearly hoping to shift the attention off of himself. He pulled himself closer to Michael and half melted when Michael wrapped his arm around him. Huh, weird.

 

“Yeah, I’m really good with portraits and still life, but my favorite is photography.”

 

“I like working with watercolors,” Rich added quietly, and Michael could see that his SQUIP was locked in an intense stare off with what looked to empty air but was probably where Rich’s SQUIP was.

 

“You do? I’ve tried working with them but can’t really work well with them. What kinda stuff do you make with it?” Michael asked, causing Rich to seemingly light up.

 

“Uh, well, I like to do a lot of beach and water-related stuff, y’know, play on the name.” Rich, along with Jenna, both happily talked about their art experiences for the remainder of lunch. Jenna even went as far as showing off some of the photography she did with her phone, though assured it was nothing compared to what she did with her professional camera.

 

By the end of lunch, not only did Michael have another number in his phone (Jenna used a camera for her emoji), he also felt like he made some more friends.

 

“ **They like both you and Jeremy, which is exactly our goal. And they like you both for you, they just needed a push in the right direction. Now, since you and Jeremy have a free period, we’re going to use this time effectively. Once you’ve signed in, you’re going to to firstly cover anything Jeremy might be concerned about with regards to our current set up, then we’re going to tutor him as to help build his grades up. Average is good, but he has so much more potential.** ”

 

Michael mentally agreed to that before waving goodbye to the girls and Rich, walking out of the cafeteria with Jeremy. He was bouncing happily on his feet, that confidence showing itself again. “That was the best lunch we’ve ever had! Granted, it’s weird since none of them knew much about us except Rich twenty-four hours ago, but it was amazing!”

 

“Hell yeah it was,” Michael agreed with a grin as he wrapped his arm around Jeremy’s shoulder, and he felt Jeremy melt a little against him. He couldn’t help but let his cheeks flush for a moment before he recovered. “SQUIP says we’re gonna have a productive free period. You cool with that?”

 

“Yeah, I’m cool with it. Whatever you think is best, dude, I trust you to make sure it’s all good for me.” Jeremy waved him off, sounding a little dazed but _beyond_ happy.

 

“ **He’s a little overwhelmed right now because it’s so new. He’ll be fine, but I can’t promise he’ll be able to sleep well tonight without some encouragement.** ” SQUIP chuckled, peering at Jeremy with a grin. His tone was light and joking, and Michael couldn’t help but grin as well.

 

“Of course, I’m only gonna do what’s best for you,” Michael reassured as they walked into the big study classroom that their free period was set up in, right next to the courtyard and the library. He quickly signed in along with Jeremy (well, his name wasn’t on the sheet since he just got added in, but he added it at the bottom and signed in) before going to sit with him in the courtyard.

 

“So what are we gonna do, oh wise and powerful SQUIP wielder?” Jeremy asked as he settled down on the floor next to a large tree. He lay back against the solid tree (“ **It’s an oak,** ” SQUIP added) and grinned up and Michael.

 

“We’re going to do some studying, but first I wanna ask about you.” Jeremy raised a brow curiously at that, inviting him to continue. “Is there anything you’re concerned about with what we’ve got going on so far? There’s a lot of new changes, I know, but it doesn’t mean we’re any different... mostly. I promise I’m the same Michael Oliver Mell you met in kindergarten.”

 

“There’s... nothing really, no. You’re still my Mikey and I’m still Jeremy,” Jeremy said, clearly running through the day in his head.

 

“ **Reinforce that idea. Pretend I don’t exist outside of your head at all, that it’s just you and Jeremy for a moment. He needs to focus on _you_ and sort of forget that I exist for this to work properly. After all, I’m _your_ SQUIP and you’re _his_.**”

 

Michael leaned over then, lying himself across Jeremy’s lap and grinning up at him. “Yeah, exactly. Nothing about us has changed. I’m still your Player One and we’re still in this game together,” he reassured Jeremy before sticking his tongue up at him. “Neither of us are anyone different. We’re always gonna be Michael and Jeremy, Mikey and Remy, Player One and Player Two, right?”

 

“Right,” Jeremy agreed, tweaking Michael’s nose gently and earning himself a faux shocked gasp.

 

“How _dare_ you, Heere! For that, we’re going to have to repair our whole friendship!” Jeremy looked (fake) shocked and threw his arm dramatically over his eyes.

 

“I hope you can forgive me one day, Sir Mell!”

 

They both burst into giggles, with Jeremy falling forward over Michael. He had to fight off a blush. After a moment more and a small bit of prompting from the SQUIP, Michael tapped Jeremy’s side. “M’kay. Up you get, we’ve got Pre-Calc to learn.” Jeremy groaned but sat up. Michael threw an arm around him again, and Jeremy melted against him, looking up at Michael attentively. “Let’s get started then.”


	4. Michael Gets an Upgrade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, Ari here! Sorry for the late upload (compared to normal) and my short notes, I got stomach pains all today and I'm only on my laptop to respond to some comments (I've read them all!) and post Chapter Four! 
> 
> The songs covered basically in this chapter are A Guy I'd Kinda Be Into, SQUIP Lurks, Upgrade, and a botched version of Loser, Geek, Whatever. A lot in one chapter because it sort of all rolls together nice and neatly, even if it's shorter. I also really loved adding what I could remember best from the Broadway dialogue for Jake and Christine's interaction, as well as just writing Christine in general. I love her, along with everyone else, so much. Also, you start to see differences from the normal production play into affect with the other characters that aren't Jeremy and Michael! Good luck, everyone!
> 
> Also, Mara says this with the title: 'Also the chapter title is to the tune of Michael makes an entrance'
> 
>  
> 
> Also also, a few words from my favowite pewson, Mara:
> 
> 'Hey lovelies! Guys, you’re killing me here! Over 200 hits already? You’re all so awesome! Ilysm!!!
> 
> This chapter is where it starts to get worrying. Jeremy gets rejected and he accepts a temporary upgrade, to see what it’s like. Michael is already on board for some reason. Which, of course, means Jeremy ends up on board as well. Time to see some of the real repercussions of having a SQUIP guys :’)))) it only goes downhill from here'

Jeremy was feeling good. Actually scratch that, he was feeling excellent! Everything had seemed to go his way today, which was freaking awesome. Between his new friends, the fact his classes went well, and Michael’s subtle guidance, Jeremy felt on top of the world! It seemed like forever ago that he was struggling to even make it through the day (was it really only yesterday? So much had changed already). Yup, all in all, a not too heinous day. And he still had play rehearsal with Christine, and Michael was tagging along.

 

“I hope you don’t get sick of me being around all the time to help you,” Michael teased as they walked down the hall to the auditorium.

 

“Dude, even before this whole thing, you being around always made everything better. Don’t down-talk yourself,” Jeremy honestly told him, reaching over and leaning against Michael for a second. He couldn’t help but smile when Michael quickly glanced away, flustered. “Plus, Shakespeare sucks.”

 

“Hey, he has some good stuff and made up a lot of words we use nowadays,” Michael softly argued as they made it to the auditorium. His best friend reached over, opening the auditorium door. “After you.”

 

“Thank you!” Jeremy grinned. It was a little weird, Michael was letting Jeremy go in first for almost every room. Normally they’d play fight about who would go in first. Must be a part of being popular or something.

 

Michael chuckled and patted Jeremy on the back. He felt a rush of... something… good feelings, as Michael followed him in. Must be because he and Michael were getting to spend _more_ time together.

 

As they entered, Jeremy could see Christine sitting in the front row, talking with Chloe and Brooke. They seemed to be hitting it off well, and he even saw Chloe glance back and gesture back to him. Wait, what was she talking about? Was she talking about _him_?

 

Before he could think much more on it, he felt Michael quickly wrap an arm around his shoulder and squeeze. “Well, I’m gonna go find Mr. Reyes and see if I can squeeze my way into this production. Also, I just activated your pheromones. Good luck!” Wait, what? Before he could ask anything, though, Michael was gone.

 

Well, if he was going to be doing this alone, might as well start now. He just had to... remember what Michael had been telling him. He could do this, it was all a matter of confidence.

 

He straightened his back out and walked over to Chloe. They were friends. He could deal with that.

 

“Hey Chloe! How are you? And hi Christine, nice to see you.” So far, so good. And he actually managed to say something to her without stammering! And he wasn’t sweating or anything either so double bonus.

 

Chloe smiled, already grabbing her bag while Brooke was already heading backstage. “Hi Jerry, I’m good. Just leaving to help Brookie with something. Bye Christine, remember what I told you,” she said with a wink before climbing up onto the stage and hurrying off.

 

“Oh, uh, hi Jeremy,” Christine said with a smile, fiddling with the end of her paint-splattered skirt. “You look... a lot different. What’s with the sudden change?”

 

Shit. Quick, make something up! (Also she payed attention enough to notice the change? Score!)

 

“Just wanted to change it up, y’know? Thought I might expand my horizons and find what suits me best.” That was believable, right?

 

Her eyes seemed to widen at that before humming in thought. “Wow, that’s so cool! I try doing that too, but I don’t think I do it that well,” she said, glancing over at where her backpack was on the chair next to her before taking it off. “Hey, I have something I wanna ask you. I heard you’re good with advice, so I was hoping you’d help me.”

 

Wait, was that what Chloe was telling her? That Jeremy gave good advice? Wow, that was really nice of her, Jeremy would need to thank her!

 

“Um, sure, I can try. Fire away.” He settled in the seat next to her, setting his bag down.

 

“So, uh, say you move here in the seventh grade and you meet people, of course, and with one person in particular, uh... He sort of set this impression you got of him until recently, and then said guy, uh, changes and you start to notice him more in a way you start to like,” she fired out, and if Jeremy wasn’t used to Michael ramble and such, he would’ve been lost. Thankfully, he wasn’t. “He’s now a guy you might sorta be into, and uh...” She was standing now, pacing a bit and fiddling with her pastel yellow cardigan. “Jeremy, is he worth it?” Christine looked at him with trusting eyes, so open and vulnerable.

 

Was she talking about _him_? Well, Michael did say that Jeremy’s pheromones were active or something weird like that so it was possible. Quick, think of what Michael or SQUIP would say (as well as throw in his own advice).

 

“Well yeah, I guess. If you think there’s a chance he’s not what you first thought, and you _like_ who he might be, then you should absolutely go for it! The worst that would happen would be it doesn’t work out, right?”

 

Her eyes seemed to light up then soften at his advice. She actually started to _giggle_ , _holy shit_! “I... thanks, Jeremy. I have a hard time even knowing if I’m even like people our age, I only ever really feel what people say I should feel when I’m on stage! I’m going through so many things, it’s insane!” She looked down at Jeremy then, smiling happily down at him before tugging him to his feet, holding his hands. “You really are good at giving advice, _dude_.” Christine laughed, probably at herself with the weird way she said ‘dude.’ “But, uh... Yeah, thanks a lot Jeremy. I think I’ll try talking to him.”

 

Jeremy felt his heart beating a mile a minute, just nodding as Christine danced around in place with him. He felt like a choir should be singing with hearts floating around them. “Cause the guy I’m sorta into...”

 

“The guy you’re sorta into?”

 

“Yeah, that guy I’m so kinda into is...” Christine looked up at Jeremy with such a fond smile, he thought he was going to melt.

 

“Jake! Thanks Jeremy, your advice helped me make up my mind!” She gave him a huge, big hug before grabbing her backpack. “I’m gonna go see what everyone’s doing backstage, hopefully Mr. Reyes has the scripts printed so we can try reading through today!” And with that, she was gone with a whirlwind of color, waving back at him with a bright smile with glittering eyes to match.

 

She was so beautiful, but she didn’t like him. She liked _Jake_. What was the point of him doing all this stuff if Christine _still_ didn’t see her as anything more than a doorstop? Jeremy was so caught up in his head, he almost missed the pressure on his back and arms guiding him towards to door. “Come on, buddy, let’s get you out of here.” He ended up in an empty hallway staring blankly at the lockers until he realized that Michael was out there with him and was looking at him with concern.

 

“She just basically rejected me. She likes Jake Dillinger, I don’t stand a chance... What’s the point in me doing all this shit, dressing up and acting different and stuff, if she still won’t fucking see me?” Jeremy knew his anger was irrational, and judging by his face Michael wasn’t upset about it, but he just was so frustrated. He needed to vent this out so he could actually deal.

 

“Hey, it’s fine, it’s only been a day. Change can’t be made in a day, not to that scale,” Michael told him, gently rubbing along his arm in a way that helped soothed him, but not as much as it normally did. “But get everything off your chest bud, I’m right here for you.”

 

He was right but it still pissed him off for some reason. “But she likes _Jake_. How am I supposed to compete with that? He’s the most popular guy in school!”

 

"Well, we just gotta keep working! Just because he's the most popular guy at school doesn't mean he's right for Christine. You gotta get to know her more, learn more about her, and success will come! After all, she and Jake barely know each other," Michael pointed out as he continued rubbing along his arm. "SQUIP and I'll keep helping you out, of course, but _you_ have to want to improve yourself and keep trying hard."

 

Jeremy couldn’t calm down, still suffering from the whiplash of everything that happened. Michael paused and wrapped his arm around Jeremy’s shoulder, half hugging him. The steady pressure around him, pressing down across his shoulders, caused his tension and frustration to melt away. Michael was right. He was on the right path, he just needed to keep going and trying hard.

 

 

 

Michael kept Jeremy close as he frowned at him. He knew the progress wouldn’t be instant, that was unrealistic (except for maybe in a dating sim). Still, Jeremy was so upset, and understandably so. He knew the pain of the person you loved having their sights set on someone else.

 

“ **I might be able to offer a solution,** ” SQUIP offered, patting Jeremy’s shoulder comfortingly (Jeremy couldn’t feel it, but Michael appreciated the action at least). “ **I can help you with two things. Firstly, we make it subtly known that you are an interested party. Nothing obvious, but enough that Jeremy will subconsciously pick up on it if he’s interested. If... that’s alright with you, of course.** ” SQUIP paused, watching Michael’s reaction.

 

Michael glanced over at SQUIP then, keeping all of his surprise at the suggestion mental. ‘I mean... I don’t want to force anything with Jeremy. Also, what’s the second thing?’ While he would _love_ to be with Jeremy, he was into Christine, not him. He wanted to be with her, and he wanted him happy first and foremost.

 

“ **I can activate an... upgrade for Jeremy. It’ll give him a more strict regime of things to follow, but it’ll yield results faster. I won’t do anything with that unless he agrees, but it’s advisable to give him the best results and the most notable change in his life.** ” SQUIP looked eager at that thought. “ **Of course, it’ll also be beneficial to all your new friends but mostly to Jeremy.** ”

 

As he thought it over, Michael looked over at Jeremy again with a subtle ache in his heart. All he wanted was for Jeremy to be happy... "Hey Remy," he muttered out, gently nudging him. Once Jeremy looked up, Michael felt himself, despite the flustered feeling in his stomach, strong and ready. This upgrade would help him, make him happier, so why wouldn't he agree to it? "SQUIP's done some data and stuff and thinks the best thing to help get what you want, to make you happy sooner, is an upgrade. It'll be a bit stricter, a little harder, but more work means better results sooner. Nothing'll happen without your permission, but... I'll be able to help you, and it'll be better sooner."

 

“An _upgrade_?” Jeremy asked, looking a little confused. “But... what would it actually be? Like, what else would it do besides make me... different?”

 

“ **It won’t change him, it’ll just help him become more. Help us to help him and his friends more.** ”

 

Michael thought over what SQUIP told him for a second before giving Jeremy a reassuring smile. "Think of it just like an update! Like, let's say I'm version one-point-oh, and doing this update and upgrading will get me to be two-point-oh! I'll just be able to help you better, nothing will change except for my ability to help you."

 

Jeremy hesitated again. “I- I dunno man...”

 

“ **May I speak to him directly?** ” Michael nodded mentally.

 

“Jeremy, let us just _show_ you the potential of this upgrade. Just for an hour, so you can decide if you want a full upgrade or to continue with this current system.” Jeremy, as always, looked a little freaked when SQUIP spoke aloud but he was genuinely considering it.

 

“I... okay, just for an hour.”

 

“ **Perfect. Now please let him know this is all part of the plan, and press right here on his lower back please. And don’t worry, it doesn’t do anything but trigger a simple, physical response. As soon as it starts, comfort him.** ” SQUIP pointed to a spot on Jeremy’s back with a small, apologetic smile.

 

Michael couldn't help but be a bit conflicted for only a moment before telling Jeremy what he was going to be doing. After Jeremy quickly nodded, Michael did as he was told, but was shocked when Jeremy started crying. He didn't even need his earlier prompt to know he needed to start comforting Jeremy. 'What the _fuck_?! _Why_ is he crying?!' he asked his SQUIP while simultaneously comforting Jeremy.

 

“ **Don’t worry, he’s not hurt. It’s just a physical response to the pressure point. Now pay attention and do exactly as I say.** ” The SQUIP’s tone was a lot less kind, more businesslike, but it wasn’t cruel.

 

Just then, Brooke came barreling around the corner.

 

“Oh Jeremy, there you are! I just heard the news. Are you okay?”

 

“Brooke! Sorry, I- don’t know why I’m crying?”

 

“ **’We just heard the news. He’s a little beat up about it.’ Make it sad but understanding.** ”

 

Mentally nodding, even if he didn't understand _why_ Jeremy would be crying, Michael gave Jeremy a comforting squeeze around his shoulders. "We just heard the bad news. We left rehearsal 'cause of it. He's a little beat up about it," he mused out, glancing up at Brooke then.

 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry to hear that.“ Brooke knelt down next to Jeremy, grabbing his hand. “I can’t believe it either, even if I didn’t like him that much because he was kinda old and mean to women. I just can’t believe Eminem is dead!”

 

“ **Press that spot again, then focus on comforting him. I’ll answer any questions while everyone else is focused on Jeremy.** ”

 

'Wait... Did you _kill_ Eminem?!' Michael asked, though followed through with what he needed to do. "Yeah, he wasn't the best, but some of his music was inspirational and not trash like him, but it's so shocking," he agreed quickly while continuing to rub his hand up-and-down Jeremy's arm.

 

“ **No...t exactly! It genuinely was a freak hockey accident, I just... am capitalizing on it?** ”

 

Both Jeremy and Brooke were focused on trying to stop Jeremy’s tears, so Michael knew he could engage further.

 

‘Then it was a coincidence you told him to wear that shirt?’

 

“ **Of course not. I just calculated that wearing that shirt would result in a... favorable outcome?** ”

 

There was a nagging feeling in the back of his brain before it quickly faded away, and Michael blanked for a second on what he was going to ask. Since he didn't recall what he was going to ask, he focused his attention back onto Jeremy then, continuing to console him as he wiped away some of his tears. "Hey, it's going to be OK Remy, I promise."

 

Jeremy nodded, looking miserable. Brooke cooed over him and squeezed his hand.

 

“Sorry, I know it’s stupid to be crying over nothing.” Jeremy laughed through his tears and Brooke shushed him.

 

“It’s not stupid, Jeremy. It just means you care a lot.”

 

“ **Which is the reason for this. To make sure Brooke knows how compassionate Jeremy is as quickly as possible. Recommend that Jeremy gets some air.** ”

 

“Thanks Brooke, for caring to come find Jeremy,” Michael thanked, and was honest about that. She, along with Jeremy, was very compassionate and caring herself. “Jeremy might need some air though. I’m gonna take him outside to get some fresh air, it’ll help him. Thanks again.”

 

“Of course. If you need anything, text me, either of you,” Brooke said, squeezing Jeremy’s hand once more before Michael helped him up and outside. On the way out, Michael continued to comfort Jeremy, rubbing his arm as they made their way near the football field to sit in the vacant bleachers.

 

“ **Brooke wants to be validated as an individual. By recognizing her efforts, you helped her feel more validated while also ensuring a stronger connection with Jeremy.** ” SQUIP sounded proud. “ **If you rub right here-** ” It pointed to the nape of Jeremy’s neck. “ **-It’ll both relax and calm him. Once he’s calm, explain what we just did.** ”

 

Michael hummed softly then, rubbing carefully along the nape of Jeremy’s neck as he continued to comfort him. He saw Jeremy begin to relax then, resting his head against Michael’s chest (he totally wasn’t flustered by that, nope) as the tears slowly stopping. “Hey, it’s alright,” Michael reassured him before wrapping his arms around Jeremy, keeping him close and comfortable.

 

After barely a minute of rubbing that point (SQUIP told him to continue while they hugged), Jeremy was lying practically boneless against him, humming softly and half nuzzling against his chest. Michael _wasn’t_ flustered by this at all, no way! He was perfectly calm (SQUIP suppressed any flustered responses for him). When Michael looked down, Jeremy had a sort of sleepy smile on his face and his eyes were closed. Besides the faint tear stains, it was impossible to tell he’d been in tears a moment ago.

 

"How're you feeling, Remy?" Michael asked him then, continuing to gently rub, though moving to rub against Jeremy's shoulder after a certain point. "Sorry about all that, SQUIP said to do it so it would help show Brooke that you're compassionate quickly and help you guys bond a bit more."

 

“Well she was really nice about it,” Jeremy murmured, his voice half slurred really from how relaxed he was. “And I feel really nice now, so it’s okay.”

 

“ **Let him know he did really well and that I’m also really proud of him for how he handled it. He trusted us and it worked out well for him, but he made the _choice_ to trust us.**” SQUIP sat on the other side of Jeremy, patting his knee gently. He looked up at them both with a proud smile.

 

Well, Michael was proud too, and couldn't help but smile as he looked down at Jeremy then, seeing his eyes were still shut. "Well, you did really well. I had to try to help make you feel better after that. SQUIP's real proud of you, and so am I. You trusted both of us, you made that choice, and I'm really happy about that, dude." He held him a little closer then. "I know this is weird and different, but it's a good kinda weird and different, right?"

 

“Yeah.” That came out almost as a happy sigh. “Is this what the upgrade does? Makes all this stuff happen?”

 

“ **It is, but we have something else to do before he can make his choice. I promised him an hour, we need to use the rest of that time.** ” SQUIP had a look that Michael was quickly learning meant that it was calculating something. “ **We need to show him your other friends and explain what will need to be done for each of them in the upgrade, so he won’t be as caught off guard the next time an opportunity arises. Guide him over to the back of the school. Brooke should be there with Chloe by now.** ”

 

With a hum of understanding, Michael looked back at Jeremy then (though it didn't matter since he still had his eyes shut). "Yeah, but the full hour isn't up yet. SQUIP has some other things to show you." He started gently moving him to stand, smiling a little at Jeremy's grumbling. "Yeah, I know. You wanna relax and nap, but c'mon, Sleeping Beauty." Michael continued to drag Jeremy along, laughing and joking with him down the bleachers as he guided him to the back of the school, like SQUIP suggested.

 

“Aw, you think I’m beautiful?” Jeremy teased, following after Michael with no further complaint. Normally, Michael would have spluttered and denied it, but SQUIP helped him out. Instead of saying anything, Michael just shot Jeremy a cheeky grin and a wink. Jeremy spluttered and looked away, obviously embarrassed about being caught by his own game.

 

After a minute more, they made it to the back of the school. Brooke and Chloe were sitting underneath a tree and while Michael couldn’t hear what they were saying, they both looked very happy. SQUIP didn’t let them approach, instead having them peek around the corner and keeping their distance. “ **Chloe is constantly worried that people only value her because of her looks and that other people are scared of her. Your friendship, Michael, is helping her with that but also Jeremy’s genuine interest in her personality and lack of interest in dating her or Brooke. Jeremy needs to make her feel seen and valued as something beyond pretty and scary, as well as make sure she’s not defined by who she’s dating. If you could summarize that for him, please?** ”

 

Michael looked back at Jeremy then, still holding onto Jeremy's hand from when he was dragging him as he spoke. "You know, Chloe's scared people only put value in her looks and nothing else. Your genuine interest in her personality and not wanting to date her or Brooke are helping her, along with the sorta friendship me and her and forming and not being scared of her because of the persona she puts on. You gotta make sure she's noticed and cared for as something more than a pretty girl, more than who she's the girlfriend of. I mean, you're already great at making a guy feel cared for and noticed," he said, gently nudging his side with a genuine smile. "Do you think you could help her out like you did with Brooke earlier?"

 

Jeremy didn’t hesitate. He nodded and looked up at Michael. “Of course. She’s really cool and I love her snark.” He grinned. At SQUIP’s insistence, Michael lead Jeremy around the front of the school. They waited in an empty classroom, watching the hallway. Rich walked by, totally alone and looking a little downtrodden. Jeremy looked concerned.

 

“ **You both already know that Rich has been alone for a long time. His SQUIP has improved things somewhat, but he’s still struggling since it’s an older model. I believe that with our help, you can both help to make Rich feel not only included but wanted and valued. And I can work on updating his SQUIP to a newer operating system while you three hang out, to make sure he’s getting the most out of his experience.”**

 

Listening to that, a frown appeared on Michael's face. His SQUIP wasn't helping as well as his own? Well, his SQUIP would help Rich and his SQUIP out, so it would be better. "Rich has been alone but we can help him feel included and valued, you know, with hanging with him and talking to him. My SQUIP can even help update his operating system while we hang so his older model can get an upgrade too, so he's not struggling as much."

 

“So the upgrade would help Rich too?” Jeremy asked, sounding slightly awed. Michael nodded and lead Jeremy over to the art rooms.

 

“ **Jenna has been the gossip queen of the school since middle school, but no one actually cares about her as a person. Today was the first personal connection anyone’s bothered to make with her in a long time. I can help guide you on how best to assist her and help her make real friends. So Jeremy would also be able to make friends with her on a deeper and more meaningful level than just a common interest, since she doesn’t know how to form those bonds yet.** ”

 

Michael pointed into the art room, where Jenna was working on a painting. "Jenna's never made real connections with anyone, no real friends, in a long time. Everyone's only cared about her since she became the go-to for gossip. Us bringing her into conversation was the first time anyone cared for her. We can help her too, help her make real friends, help her learn how to _make_ real friends, and you two can connect in a deeper and more meaningful way, in more ways than just both liking art." He gently squeezed his shoulder as he told him that.

 

Jeremy didn’t say anything this time around, instead he just looked up at Michael with wide eyes full of trust... and something else. Was that worry?

 

“ **He’s wanting to make the upgrade but he’s nervous about the transition, is all. Trust me, Michael, it’s what’s best for him,** ” SQUIP murmured, guiding them to one last location. It had them waiting in an alcove in an empty hallway. “ **Just wait here for a minute,** ” SQUIP instructed.

 

Jeremy looked anxious regardless, and Michael just smiled and rubbed his arm a bit more then. He relaxed at that, like he always did, before conversation could be heard down the hall. Quietly, Michael knowing that this was what SQUIP meant to wait for, he looked around the corner then to see Christine, who seemed to have just ran into Jake.

 

"Hey," Jake said with a huge grin, though Christine seemed a bit hurt as she tried to walk by. "Uh, why aren't you saying 'hi' back?"

 

"Well, I was _going_ to... Y'know, at play rehearsal," she muttered out, holding her somewhat ratty copy of a book about Barbra Streisand close to her chest.

 

Jake scratched the back of his head then, looking extremely apologetic. "I'm sorry about that, it was the same time as Frisbee..."

 

"I get it, I do-"

 

"Which is why I quit." Christine, who had still been walking away, was shocked. She stopped, turning around and looking at Jake with wide eyes. "I realized that, with the enthusiasm you put into the one thing you love, that I'm just spreading myself thin with all this stuff to get noticed. I need to put my time into one thing, something I care for, and... and I care about you, Christine."

 

She seemed hopeful, yet hesitant, glancing away. That is, until Jake started to quote, "'O Romeo, Romeo. Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet.' Well, in this case, someone who spreads himself too thin, but..." He gave her a hopeful smile, and her eyes seemed to light up with a tinge of... something else.

 

" **She's being inspired by Jake, in his want to change, but is questioning herself as well in the process.**

 

“ **Christine is searching for herself, she needs stability and balance in her life. Though she may choose Jake in the short term, what she really needs is someone who is reliable and kind and strong. And we can help amplify those qualities in Jeremy.** ”

 

Jeremy was frozen, watching the possible couple with a sad, longing expression. Michael wasn’t sure exactly _why_ Jeremy was so desperate for Christine to love him, but seeing him so sad just wasn’t right.

 

Michael pulled Jeremy away then, back outside, and sat down with him near the student parking lot. "Christine, she's still looking for herself. We all sorta are right now, but eventually, we'll all get there. SQUIP and I can help you get there though, because while Jake may be there for the short term, she needs someone who is kind, reliable, and strong to help her stay stable and balanced, like you. She may not see it yet, but you're there for her when she's ready. She just isn't yet, but until she is, we can help you get there while helping everybody else."

 

Jeremy was silent for a moment, obviously thinking things through. “And what about you, Mikey? What happens with you if we go through with the upgrade?” he asked quietly after a moment. There was something almost sad in his tone, and Michael knew he needed to sooth Jeremy’s worries. He didn’t even need SQUIP’s prompting to know what would happen.

 

"Well, nothing except being able to help you better," Michael told him as he wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "You're my best friend, Jeremy, I'm not going anywhere. You could try to throw me away and I'd come right back, whether you wanted me to or not." He looked down at his friend then, giving him a reassuring smile. "Things will just get better, I promise. You trust me, don't you?"

 

Jeremy instantly nodded and leant against Michael. “Of course I do, dude. Do... do you think the upgrade would be best? I’m not, like, betraying what we were before by taking it, am I?”

 

"What? Of course you aren't, dude. How would that even happen?"

 

“I dunno. I just... these are big changes and yeah, I’m happy but I just feel like we’re missing something? Maybe it’s because it’s just been us for so long and I don’t know how to deal with it, but I’m just... overwhelmed by the newness of it all. And you just seem... so different. Not _bad_ different, but different and I guess I’m kinda worried how the upgrade will affect _you_ most of all. Like you said, Mikey, you’re my best friend. I just wanna be sure you’re good with it too.” Jeremy was fiddling with his sleeves awkwardly as he spoke, not looking up at Michael at all.

 

Michael had an idea on what to say, but he heard his SQUIP whispering what to say in his ear, and it was definitely more well-put than how he was going to say it. "Well, we both know that change is overwhelming. Hell, it is a bit for me too, you know I'm not the biggest fan of change, but we're a team, we can get through this together. Plus, nothing'll happen to me unless you say so. Technically, my SQUIP is your SQUIP, it's just acting through me, remember? I'm your best friend _and_ your SQUIP, so unless you tell me to suddenly become the stereotypical gay best friend, that won't happen. I mean, unless you _want_ that, but I never took you for that type, Remy."

 

Jeremy giggled, with a cute little snort in there too, as he shook his head. “No, I don’t want that. I just want you to keep helping me out with all this. So nothing too different to our usual lives. I...” He took a deep breath. “Let’s upgrade.”

 

“ **Upgrade in progress. Please excuse any intrusive thoughts that may occur during this time and apologies for the lack of interaction from your SQUIP.** ”

 

"OK, it's gonna upgrade, so I don't know how different I'll be acting until it's done," Michael managed to tell Jeremy, and he was glad to see Jeremy nod, though he reached over and took Michael's hand.

 

"No, Mikey, it's OK. You've been helping me out so much, you should just... take a break."

 

Michael nodded to that, leaning his head against Jeremy's shoulder, something they did when they'd hang and it was getting late, as he felt Jeremy's arm wrap around his shoulder this time.

 

He couldn't help but relax a bit, even as he felt nagging in his head, telling him things that weren't true. Things about how he wasn't going to help Jeremy right, how the SQUIP was a bad idea, and other things like that. He just tried to brush past them, not really realizing he was spacing out until one of his intrusive thoughts pointed out how insensitive he was for doing that right now, which made no sense, but OK?

 

“Y’know, I really can’t thank you enough, Michael. You’ve been doing so much for me and I don’t really know how to make it up to you. I’m just glad we’re in this together,” Jeremy mumbled, leaning his head against Michael’s. “The thing I really want from the upgrade though, is that you make sure to look after yourself too. You tell me if you want a break or if you need some space or anything like that. You might be my SQUIP now, but you’re still my best friend.” Michael could almost feel that Admin command being inserted into the SQUIP’s code.

 

Michael hummed softly in response, almost shutting his eyes at this point. Jeremy still cared, he was so happy, so he had to be doing things right... right? This was good, they made a good decision, _he_ made a good decision in taking the SQUIP and becoming Jeremy's SQUIP too. "Mm, I will," was all he could get out as Jeremy's words started to will him back to reality a bit. "And I am. I'm both. Y'know, your best friend and your SQUIP..."

 

Jeremy snorted again. “What, has the upgrade got you high or something?” Michael felt a small spark in his head, just the smallest flicker of sensation, before SQUIP stood in front of him again.

 

“ **Apologies for taking so long there, Michael. I am now fully upgraded and as such, so are you. Now we can be the most effective SQUIP unit to assist Jeremy.** ” It sounded very proud of that fact.

 

It had a more updated look, seeming a bit darker, more black and grey than white. Well, he- no, _they_ updated, which made sense. They were going to improve Jeremy's life as the most efficient and effective SQUIP.

 

Michael looked up at Jeremy then, grinning with a bit of pride. "Nope, but I'm feeling a hell of a lot better now. We're definitely going to be able to help you now."

 

" **Now, let's get to work.** "


	5. What Happens During the Intermission

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, VSauce here-
> 
> Nah, nah, it's Ari! Hi! How are ya? c: This chapter is one of my favorites, I'm almost buzzing as I'm typing this up. It really sets the overall psychological stuff up over a brief period of time with us only getting snippets into these two's mindsets as things change and as, uh... Well, you'll see. Just don't hate us /too/ much after this... C;
> 
> Also, as the title indicates, this is what happens during that break period between Act 1 and Act 2... during the intermission... Yes, I'm a nerd and came up with that title and got super jazzed about it, OK? Leave a girl to freak in peace! >:OOO
> 
> Also also, don't hate me for how I wrote Michael and, uh, one video... ;3c You'll see what I mean...
> 
>  
> 
> And now, a word from my favowite pewson, Mara:
> 
> 'Hey lovelies! Well would you look at that? Over 260 hits??? I’m???? You guys spoil us, I swear. I love you all so much! Thanks for the support!
> 
> This chapter is where the nagging feelings of wrongness you’ve all picked up on finally present themselves. It goes downhill and goes downhill /fast/. Get ready for some heartbreak, kiddos, this one’s gonna be a doozy. Prepare to see your favourite characters broken down to nothing and built up into something horrifying :))))'

The car ride back was mostly in silence. Michael was obviously talking to the SQUIP and Jeremy wasn’t about to interrupt that. Besides, it gave him time to study Michael. Something had definitely shifted in the time it took for Michael to ‘upgrade,’ but Jeremy couldn’t place what. Was it his posture? His eyes? Or even his speech? Jeremy couldn’t tell, all he knew was that he wasn’t sure he liked it, even if Michael seemed to.

 

He didn't realize just how long he was spending studying him until the car stopped and the engine was turned off. Blinking in surprise, Jeremy found himself being caught by Michael, raising a brow and snickering for a second. "What, you checking me out? I know I'm hot stuff and all, but geez Remy, have _some_ decency," he teased, stepping out of his Cruiser after grabbing his backpack, but not before waving Jeremy to the front door of Jeremy's house.

 

Jeremy couldn’t help but splutter at that. He was not checking Michael out! Besides, those were _Jeremy’s_ sort of joke, the playful (fake) flirting. God, for all the good this SQUIP was doing, it was also really throwing Jeremy off his game. Jeremy scrambled out the car and followed after Michael.

 

Michael took out his spare key for the Heere household (Jeremy gave it to him a few years ago as a gift and Michael almost cried when he saw it) and quickly unlocked the door, holding the door open for Jeremy before psyching him out and ducking in himself with a grin. Jeremy couldn't help but laugh a bit and shake his head before following along after him, shutting the door behind himself.

 

Walking through, Jeremy saw his dad _still_ asleep on the couch. Jeremy would've felt his blood boiling if Michael didn't silently grab his hand and tug him upstairs, quickly letting them dip into his room. "Hey, we aren't focusing on _him_ , we're focusing on _you_ ," Michael said, gently poking his stomach before dropping his backpack onto Jeremy's bed and hopping onto it, letting himself bounce a little before grinning up at Jeremy.

 

Jeremy also hopped onto the bed, grinning at Michael. “Okay, so yesterday we did clothes and the mantra things. What are we working on today, oh wise guardian?”

 

"Today we move on to a few more difficult tasks, young Padawan," Michael said with a sparkle in his eye before he made a weak attempt to grab Jeremy's laptop on one of the shelves on the wall above his bed, where his laptop was. "I am so weak, I cannot reach up a few feet and grab it. The Force... it is leaving me. Young Padawan, you must retrieve it for me. You are my only hope."

 

“Don’t turn into a force ghost on me, Mikey.” Jeremy snorted, grabbing the laptop down. He knew he had closed the tab about the Mountain Dew Red and cleared his history, so there was no chance of Michael finding out about it. And since he did all his... personal activities online and didn’t save anything, he wasn’t exactly worried about Michael finding anything either. Besides, it’s not like he didn’t let Michael go through his laptop before (why was he feeling a little nervous about it now?). He passed the computer to Michael.

 

"Thank you, my good sir," the other hummed out as he took the laptop with grabby hands, resting it on his lap as he opened it up. It didn't take long to start-up, and Jeremy couldn't help but lean a little over to see what Michael was typi- 'push-up benefits?'

 

"Wait, _exercise_? Ew," Jeremy said, sticking his tongue out as he looked up at his best friend. Said best friend just snickered at him.

 

"Dude, trust me, I _know_ , but doing these _will_ help. Like, maybe doing a few a day at the very least and build it up. It's sort of like what we were talking about with the self-confidence thing in the mirror." He opened up a link and turned the laptop over on his lap so Jeremy could read what was listed.

 

Okay there were a lot of benefits, but still: exercise. Ew.

 

“Okay, how many should I start with?” Jeremy sighed, flopping against Michael’s shoulder. Michael threw an arm around him out of habit and Jeremy found himself very comfortable with this position. Actually, he _really_ liked being this close to Michael, and he wouldn’t mind being this close more often. Why didn’t he- no, _focus_ Jeremy. Michael was talking again.

 

"I'd say one rep of ten today, see how you are tomorrow, and see if you can do two reps of ten. If not, just keep working until you can do that, and keep adding reps like that," Michael suggested, patting his shoulder. "Exercise sucks, but it'll help in the long run in a lot of ways."

 

“Yeah yeah, I know. Okay, so there’s the push-ups to add to my routine. Anything else, oh great and knowledgeable Michael?”

 

He seemed to glance off for a second before suddenly clapping his hands once, startling Jeremy for a second with the sudden sound and Michael's enthusiasm. "Oh! OK, so you did the whole mantra shit this morning, right?" Jeremy nodded. "Good, OK. Hearing more than just yourself telling you these things will help, so when we hang after school and rehearsal, we can do those together."

 

Jeremy made a face, but nodded nonetheless. Mantras and shit were good, he knew that. It was just so fucking awkward to say those things about himself, even if it was good for him in the long run. “So we’ll do it repeat style like last night?”

 

"Eeyup! It'll be awkward, I know that, but we've been with each other through our awkward phases neither of us speak of again, haven't we? This is _nothing_ compared to those dark days!"

 

“True,” Jeremy conceded with a shrug. “Alright then, lead away good sir!” Jeremy could just space out and repeat wherever Michael said. Get the mantras done with as little embarrassment as possible while also keeping the benefits of the words going into his head.

 

And that is exactly what he did. They were the same mantras as last night, and he didn't want to focus on this embarrassing moment. No, not because of Michael... Well, sort of. Hearing Michael say these kind of things about him made him feel weird, and he didn't know why, but if he didn't think about it, he'd be fine! Hah, life hacks.

 

Jeremy stayed tucked next to Michael, relaxed and slightly spaced out as he repeated the words a couple of times. It was only when Michael changed his tone to something more peppy that Jeremy focused back in.

 

“Okay so we’ve got push ups and mantras. What else?” Jeremy didn’t really want to move from where he was. He felt _really_ relaxed for some reason, more so than normal. It was nice.

 

They kept going for a little bit longer, working on homework (thankfully, it was light since it was still near the start of the semester) and his posture a little more. Michael's reminders of the video game skill thought helped him a bit, though he knew it would take more time to get used to it. Thankfully, like always, Michael was understanding and patient with him.

 

"Well, I need to get going," Michael said after finishing up his algebra homework with Jeremy. "Mom's gonna be home for dinner tonight and I _cannot_ be late for that." He put his stuff away and tucked it into his backpack then, sighing as he stood and stretched his back. "See you tomorrow?"

 

“Of course, dude. Should I be ready by the same time tomorrow?” Jeremy asked. Michael nodded, swinging his backpack over one shoulder. “Cool, I’ll be ready.” As Michael left and Jeremy watched him drive away, he couldn’t help but feel a little... uncomfortable. Even though Michael seemed normal, Jeremy felt like something was sort of... off. Just not right for whatever reason, and he didn’t like it. He’d have to make sure to keep a better eye on Michael to make sure nothing was wrong.

 

 

 

The next few days, though they were great with Jeremy getting better, were frustrating, at least when he was at home. First, his laptop wasn't working well, and he couldn't figure out what _exactly_ was wrong though. No diagnosis could figure out what was wrong, saying it was right, but he couldn't go to his favorite, uh... websites of interest in the morning, which made him uncomfortable and frustrated _all day_. If those two things weren't bad enough, he was getting real frustrated with his dad at home with each passing day. Ugh, he was just ready to yank his hair out of his head!

 

Which was why, after a stressful day at school (Christine and Jake were together and it was _very_ obvious), Jeremy suggested they go to Michael’s after school instead.

 

Jeremy flopped into his beanbag with a sigh. “Today fucking sucked dude,” he grumbled. “Please tell me we can get high or something so I can cool off all this?”

 

"Sorry dude, haven't had a chance to get some more from my dealer, been too busy," Michael apologized as he flopped down into his own beanbag. "Plus, my dealer's been iffy with keeping in-contact lately. Why don't we try getting your frustration out some other way instead?"

 

Jeremy’s mind instantly fell down to the gutter and he forced it out again. Okay, so maybe he was bi. And horny. But this was Michael he was talking about, not some random hookup. Jeremy wouldn’t use Michael like that.

 

“What did you have in mind dude?” Jeremy asked instead, looking around Michael’s room a little. Was it just his imagination or did it seem weird? Sort of... more plain. Neater too. Wow, SQUIPs worked fast when they’re directly in your head.

 

Michael reached over, grunting ever so softly as he reached over for his controllers. "Well, we can keep trying with Apocalypse, keep trying and get some of your frustration out on those zombies." His eyes lit up at that. "Before we actually get that done though, let's get the mantras outta the way. We'll be able to enjoy video games after we get those done quickly before we eventually have to start on our homework."

 

“Ugh, _fine_ ,” Jeremy grumbled, hopping up from his beanbag to head over to the mirror Michael kept on the inside of his closet door. Michael insisted that Jeremy use a mirror to do the mantras, and Michael always stood behind him, hugging him to keep him comfortable. He didn’t seem to realize Jeremy spaced out every time. Jeremy got ready and sort of found himself relaxing against Michael as he wrapped himself around Jeremy. He grinned when they made eye contact in the mirror.

 

Jeremy started spacing out after the first line, just repeating whatever Michael said. He knew he was repeating whatever Michael was saying, he knew it was good and positive, but it just didn't really feel like he _needed_ to pay attention since he knew the damn mantras by heart at this point. Things like, "Everything about us is so wonderful," and, "Everything about us is so incredible.” Y’know, the usual.

 

After a few minutes (well, he assumed it was), he felt Michael gently tapping on his side. "Now that we're done, ready to kill some zombies?"

 

“Fuck yeah!” Jeremy cheered, half dragging Michael over to the bean bags and getting ready. For the next couple of hours, they played and everything felt totally normal for once. Jeremy loved having the SQUIP helping and guiding them but he missed being able to just goof off for once.

 

Eventually, they stopped and Jeremy started packing up his stuff to head home. “So I’ll be around tomorrow at about ten to start the homework, yeah?”

 

Michael's eyes lit up then before he nodded with a huge grin. "Yeah, of course. And if we get finished early, we could totally try playing on my Xbox," he offered as he stood up, walking Jeremy out. He had offered to drive Jeremy before, but Jeremy just wanted to walk back in the cool evening and just think for a little bit.

 

Something caught Jeremy’s eye as they headed to the door of Michael’s room, and he paused when he properly noticed it. “Hey, Mikey? Two things before I go: firstly, have you found your glasses yet and second, what’s with that trash bag on the floor?”

 

He cocked his head to the side at Jeremy's sudden questions. "Oh, no, it's weird but the whole vision-fix has done wonders, and the bag's for clothes I'm donating. Ina kept getting on me for it after getting new stuff, so I put some old stuff in there that'll get donated this weekend. I promise, I'm not a trash gremlin or something."

 

“Naw, it’s cool. Your room is looking really clean and stuff. I’ll- I’ll be up in a second. Just wanna check something, yeah?” Jeremy shot Michael a grin and it was quickly returned with a grin and a shrug from Michael.

 

He wandered upstairs and Jeremy instantly dashed over to Michael’s bedside table where _his glasses were still sitting_. Michael always left his glasses in the same spot every night. And these hadn’t been touched in days, the lenses were a little dusty. Jeremy pocketed them and darted over to the trash bag and felt his heart drop.

 

Michael’s hoodie was in it. His favorite red, patch-covered hoodie which Jeremy had helped him create. Michael was _donating_ it. Oh hell no. This had to be SQUIP’s doing, considering it was trying to convince Jeremy to dump his cardigan too. Well that wasn’t gonna happen and neither was this. Jeremy stuffed the hoodie into his backpack and hopped upstairs after Michael. They’d only been apart for less than a minute, nothing suspicious there at all.

 

When he came up, he saw Michael leaning into the kitchen entrance-way, talking with his Ina about something or another for dinner before looking back at Jeremy when he came over. "Hey, everything good?"

 

"Yeah, of course dude," Jeremy reassured him with a smile, hoping that he didn't seem off at all.

 

Somehow, he must've passed or was overthinking everything as Michael smiled back. "Just checking." He walked Jeremy to the entrance, giving him a quick one-armed hug before letting him go. "Be safe, you little weirdo," Michael called out, waving from his doorway before it shut, leaving Jeremy alone in the dusk with his thoughts.

 

Once he was one hundred perfect out of sight of Michael’s house, Jeremy stopped and pulled out the hoodie. It looked exactly the same as it did on Monday when they went to get the SQUIP, down to the length of the thread hanging off the left sleeve. Thank god.

 

Jeremy had as many memories of this hoodie as he did of Michael. This hoodie was _synonymous_ with Michael. Maybe... maybe Jeremy should just hold on to it. It would be better off than letting it go to a charity shop or something, this hoodie was too precious. He quickly slipped off his own jacket and pulled on the hoodie. It smelled of weed and old soda. Like how Micheal used to smell, not this new cologne he’d been using. It was relaxing.

 

Jeremy started home again, thinking. Jeremy just had to keep an eye on Michael. That was all, just make sure he didn’t self destruct. And check if he needed breaks from being Jeremy’s SQUIP. The pressure was obviously getting to him. That was it. He was just stressed and confused. He’d ask if Jeremy knew where the hoodie was tomorrow, surely.

 

 

 

Michael never did ask. Why would they need to? It made Jeremy happy to have it and their glasses, so he could keep it.

 

They just continued with helping Jeremy study, with his mantras, being sure he learned there were better outlets than his porn (even if he didn't realize it). He was becoming a lot happier, and so were their friends. They were doing a great job as Jeremy's SQUIP! Everything was going great!

 

At the start of October, with it starting to get chilly out (oh, they had to make sure Jeremy wore his new, nicer coat), Michael was spending more time indoors with Jeremy. Granted, they didn't go out much in general, but the nicer, somewhat cozy feel was nice, especially since Jeremy did get cold quickly.

 

They waited for Jeremy to come over that first October weekend, assured by SQUIP that things were going well. Michael just mentally agreed, reviewing some things over about the past week before the doorbell rang. "I got it, Ina!" they called out as they hurried up the stairs, going over and answering the door for Jeremy with a huge grin. "Hey Remy!"

 

“Hey Mikey.” Jeremy was looking not only happier than usual but also really proud of himself. “Let’s get inside, it’s really cold!”

 

Michael made sure to observe all of Jeremy’s behaviors, conversing with SQUIP about anything that might stand out. Besides the fact that he _hadn’t_ tried to view porn last night (he needed to be rewarded for that), there was nothing out of the ordinary. Oh wait- yes, there _was_ something in his jacket pocket.

 

Michael placed their hand on his back and guided him downstairs, ensuring to press against what they fondly called the reward points. The pressure points that gave relaxation and happy feelings, just like how the mantras did and how Jeremy now seemed to react around Michael. It was actually interesting, Jeremy was showing less and less interest in Christine the longer he knew her for. Michael made a note to bring that up with him later.

 

Once they got downstairs, they went into business mode as they helped Jeremy take off his jacket. They only ever got like this, into business mode, when it was just them because they needed to do what they could to help Jeremy. "So, you seem a lot happier than usual. What did you do? Tell me about it while we're getting ready to do the mantras."

 

Jeremy pulled an envelope out of his jacket before Michael had taken in away fully. “I finally did it. I managed to get it all back for you!” He grinned, putting down the envelope on Michael’s desk and moving over to the closet. “All one hundred dollars I owe you. You can finally get yourself a Switch!”

 

Jeremy went out of his way to earn back money for them? He was so sweet, but that money should be used for himself, not them.

 

Michael smiled sweetly over at Jeremy before they went over to him, standing behind him and resting their hands on his shoulders. "Oh Jeremy, thank you so much, you're so kind and considerate for working so hard to pay me back. We know the money would be better kept with you though for you to spend on other things," they praised and reminded with a gentle and slight smile.

 

Jeremy’s eye lost a little focus as Michael praised him, as they often did recently, and he practically melted back against Michael. It was to reinforce the good behavior, according to SQUIP, and of course Michael knew that was the correct thing to do. Jeremy deserved to feel good for _doing_ good.

 

“Okay, Mikey. If you’re sure you don’t want it back? I did promise...” Jeremy sounded a little concerned through his slight slur. Hmm, perhaps they had hit him a little hard with the praise this time, or they were overusing it. Best to just go with it for now and adjust as necessary later.

 

"It's fine, really. I think Ina's getting me a Switch for Christmas and all since she knows we've been dying for one for ages," Michael reassured Jeremy with a shrug, gently squeezing his shoulders to try to bring him back to a little bit. "Save your hard-earned money for yourself, you never know what you might wanna get in the future. Better yet, save it up. But that's something to think about later. Are you ready for the mantras?"

 

Jeremy sighed a little. “Yes, Mikey.” They knew Jeremy didn’t like doing the mantras, not conventionally anyway. He did enjoy it, just not consciously.

 

“Everything about us is so wonderful,” Michael started, and Jeremy repeated. “Everything about us is so incredible. We are happy and successful with everything we do.” And on and on, with Michael slipping in a new one while Jeremy zoned out (both from boredom and from feeling good from doing his mantras). “You need us.”

 

“I need you,” Jeremy agreed absentmindedly. It was cute, really. Jeremy already _knew_ he needed Michael, but it was still nice for them to hear it. Now they’d get to hear it every day.

 

With that though, they were done. Jeremy did so well! They gently squeezed his shoulders then, shifting their pitch in voice so Jeremy could zone back in. "You did so well, Jeremy! Now, before we try to study, how about we play video games for an hour or so since we didn't get to yesterday because of project work?"

 

Jeremy’s eyes lit up as he met their gaze in the mirror. “Really?” Jeremy looked so excited. And wait, was his gaze hovering over Michael’s lips there for a second?

 

“ **It was. He was watching our lips**.” It was rare to hear from SQUIP directly anymore, mainly because Michael was a SQUIP themselves. They just communicated via nonverbal ideas normally. “ **This is both useful and beneficial to us, Michael. Ask him about his feelings towards Christine while we play.** ”

 

'Got it,' was all they thought back before they grinned and nodded at Jeremy. "Of course, you deserve it." With that, they quickly set up the game and got back into it with Jeremy.

 

They waited until after some time playing, for Jeremy to be comfortably settled, to start asking. "So, how do you think things are going with Christine? What are you current feelings towards her?"

 

“She’s a good friend, nothing more. And she and Jake make a lovely couple, I’m actually really happy for them,” Jeremy replied honestly. “My feelings for her have faded to just the warm glow of friendship I feel for the other girls.”

 

They quickly applied that update along with SQUIP before focusing back in on more questions for Jeremy. "I'm glad to hear that you've been able to settle these feelings and have figured everything out on your own. Do you think you have your sights set on anyone else? Any other changes in goals by chance?"

 

Jeremy blushed. “I’m- er- trying to figure that out myself actually. I think there is someone I might like, but I want to explore the feeling a bit first before I put a label on it. As of yet, there’s no change in goal besides no longer pursuing Christine.” Jeremy didn’t turn his head from the screen, but Michael did notice that Jeremy kept glancing at them. Interesting.

 

"Alright, I will change things around and solely focus on your main and solitary objective then," Michael reaffirmed, glancing over at Jeremy and catching his eye before giving him a smile. He glanced quickly away then, pointedly looking anywhere but at them. Very interesting.

 

Jeremy squirmed a little, his cheeks going a little red. Michael decided they could all relax a little (SQUIP approved too), so they switched out of business mode for now.

 

“You’ve been doing really well with everything, Jeremy. It’s been brilliant to see your progress,” Michael praised, scooting closer to Jeremy and leaning their shoulders together. Jeremy almost spluttered but the rush from the praise countered it. Instead, he just leant a little closer to Michael.

 

Since they weren't in business mode and could be casual with him, Michael felt their cheeks warm a bit at the contact. They couldn't help but smile, resting their head against Jeremy as they kept playing (SQUIP kept them from failing or performing in any way other than near perfect because winning made Jeremy happy, especially since they had been struggling with this level for ages). "Really, I'm proud of the progress you've made this past month. It's amazing... _You're_ amazing."

 

After a moment, Jeremy rested his head against Michael’s. “You really think so?” he asked quietly, as if he didn’t quite believe it. Jeremy sort of nuzzled against them gently, clearly seeking physical comfort as much as verbal.

 

"I _know_ so," Michael reassured him, smiling a little more before reaching down and intertwining their fingers with his and squeezing his hand. "We've known each other for our entire lives, Jeremy, of course I know this."

 

Jeremy had paused the game by this point and it was a good thing too. He practically melted against them, boneless and blissed out, wrapped around Michael. His cheeks were flaming but he looked genuinely happy, even more so than from just the praise.

 

They couldn't help but laugh before reaching around Jeremy and pulling him close. "You deserve all of the happiness," Michael reassured him as they gently rubbed his arm the way they knew Jeremy liked it.

 

 

 

Jeremy was feeling... odd. Not because he had missed his mantras or because he’s tried to look up porn or anything; no, this was different. He felt... uncomfortable around Michael. Which was stupid, Michael was his SQUIP and his best friend, but it was the truth. Something had finally registered in Jeremy’s mind and it was making him uncomfortable.

 

Jeremy had thought his constant static shocks were because of his new clothes and the fact he ran very cold usually. But Chloe ran very hot and he barely got any shocks from her. And Brooke liked to wander around in just socks while on carpet, and he barely got any shocks from her. The only person who shocked him really, was Michael. And Jeremy had realized it only happened when Jeremy had done something bad. Which was why he was sitting uncomfortably in front of Michael on Michael's bed, looking anywhere else but him. He needed to talk about it but was scared by the answer he might get (he feared he would get).

 

Of course, Michael knew what was wrong, he always knew when something was bothering him. "Is everything alright, Jeremy?" he asked him, reaching a hand over and gently brushing it against his arm. "You seem to be feeling a bit down... What happened?" Worry and concern filled his voice like normal, and maybe Jeremy was just paranoid, but _that_ even seemed off about Michael. Seriously, how crazy could he get?

 

“Have you been shocking me?” Jeremy asked suddenly, the words tumbling from his mouth in a messy heap. He couldn’t help it. Things had been building up for too long and Jeremy just needed this bit of reassurance. He just needed to know it wasn’t intentional, that Michael wasn’t intentionally hurting him (the shocks didn’t exactly _hurt_ , but they did sting like crazy for a minute). He needed that one bit of reassurance and the world would be good again.

 

Jeremy expected Michael to deny him, to prove him wrong, _anything_. He wanted to just have it be a huge series of coincidences, for him to be paranoid. He needed to know that he was wrong.

 

"Yes, I have."

 

It took all Jeremy had, in that moment, to not do _something_ besides ask, "Why?"

 

Michael cocked his head to the side then before answering, "To help you behave properly, of course. Why else would I do it?" As he answered, he had that slight smile on his face, the slight upward tug of his lips.

 

_Empty_. _Broken_. **_Not Michael_**.

 

Those thoughts swam through his head at an alarming rate. Michael wouldn’t hurt Jeremy. He _never_ would, but he had just said he _was_. What had Jeremy done to deserve that? How had he been so bad that his best friend would have to hurt him to teach him?

 

Jeremy couldn’t help his reaction. And he’d call to apologize later, surely, but for now he needed to get _away_.

 

He leapt off the bed and slipped on his Converses, not even bothering to tie up his laces. Before Michael had a chance to react beyond a slightly confused utterance of, “Jeremy?”, Jeremy was grabbing his bag and sprinting out of the Mell residence. He made sure to stay off the roads as he raced back home so Michael would be less likely to find him.

 

When he _did_ finally make it back home, he barely managed to run up the stairs to his room, not bothering to take his shoes off even as he got into bed and dropped his bag. He felt horrible, his heart racing too fast, and he needed to calm down. Jeremy needed _it_.

 

He didn't even notice he was crying until he saw his red-rimmed eyes in the mirror and felt tears drop onto his hands as they shook.

 

Reaching under his bed, he quickly managed to grab Michael's hoodie, holding it close and taking a nice, deep breath of how Michael used to smell. It was barely hanging on, but he could smell the weed and old soda clinging on. He was quick to tug it on, letting him bury his face into it before hurrying to take his phone out. His heart raced as he saw notifications from Michael, asking where he was, if he was alright, and the likes. Jeremy dismissed those, though, and quickly tapped, with trembling fingers, to unlock his screen and pull up his Photos app, to find a specific folder- aha.

 

The old home videos they recorded. Jeremy had a good number on his computer of the oldest ones, but he needed a newer one this time around. He needed a reminder of who Michael was, of why Jeremy needed to trust him. He just needed to feel safe with Michael again.

 

He pulled up the newest one, from the summer before junior year. Michael’s hair was a wild mess, it was before he had gotten it cut to a much neater style, and they both wore glasses back then. Jeremy barely remembered, his only reminder being these videos and the pair with the green rhinestones set into the frames which were tucked away in a drawer with the bottle of Mountain Dew Red he hadn’t given to Michael yet. Michael probably wouldn’t like it anyways, he didn’t drink old sodas anymore, only green Mountain Dew.

 

The video started off weirdly, with Jeremy lifting his phone up to Michael. He was hanging upside down, off of his bed and slightly slumped against the floor as his glasses were slightly askew. Jeremy was giggling wildly from behind the camera, eventually causing Michael to look over. "What're you laughin' at, Remy?" Michael asked him from behind the camera, which seemed to only make him laugh more.

 

"Y-your initials, oh my _god_!"

 

"What 'bout 'em?" Michael asked, making grabby hands towards the camera. "And gimmie that, don't keep hogging it! I spent good money on that so we could celebrate bein' halfway through with high school, dude!"

 

"You-you're literally the _MOM_ friend," Jeremy snickered out, the screen shaking as Michael pouted up at Jeremy before it seemed to hit him a few seconds later. His eyes lit up and he started to laugh, his grin going goofy and lopsided as he ended up snorting. "See, y-you know it's funny too!"

 

"Oh my _god_ , you're gonna kill me, Remy!" Michael almost wheezed out, rolling around before grabbing his Sandshrew plush, clinging to it as he caught his breath. "Y're gonna kill me even more if you keep me from the good kush!"

 

"Noo, don't die, you're my best friend!" He saw the Marley-esque bong be passed over to Michael then, who almost squeaked with joy as he took it and quickly took a hit.

 

"Don't worry, I won't," Michael promised as he let the smoke billow out, giving that goofy grin again that showed off his teeth, though his glasses were almost falling off his face. "I can't abandon m'Player Two! That'd be terrible!"

 

"Aww, Mikeeey, you-" The video stopped there, probably from him accidentally tapping it as he was leaning forward.

 

Jeremy’s heart ached painfully That.... that was so different to how things were now. Michael didn’t smoke with Jeremy (or at all anymore). Michael didn’t laugh like that with Jeremy. He didn’t just... goof around. Be a kid. Be warm. He wasn’t any of that anymore. What could have changed him so drasti-

 

The SQUIP.

 

Michael had started changing when he had taken the SQUIP for Jeremy. He had stopped being Michael anymore. And Jeremy didn’t even realize it. He was totally ignorant the whole time. Or was he?

 

Jeremy started to remember, while staring blankly at the image of Michael and how he _used_ to look, that he _had_ noticed things changing. But every single time he addressed them, or tried to, his worries would be brushed aside perfectly by Michael, or he’d ignore them thanks to something Michael had said earlier. Michael had been changing and he _let_ it happen to himself... or the SQUIP did and didn’t _let_ him realize.

 

Jeremy felt himself curling up, more tears falling. He started scrubbing at his eyes as he realized this all happened because of the SQUIP. Really, he had no idea _what_ it was doing to him, but it was doing _something_ that made him... not Michael. How had he let this go on with his best friend for so long? Why was he only _now_ picking up on all of this? Still, he looked down at the video, clicking the ‘play’ button and watching again, even if his heart hurt.

 

He missed Michael.

 

He... he couldn’t just lie here. He had to _do_ something. His best friend, his Player One, was suffering! Jeremy had to try to get through to Michael, to tell him this was wrong. But when and how?

 

The Halloween party. Tomorrow at Jake’s place. _Everyone_ would be there which meant Michael would be too. Jeremy would grab him there and talk to him, easy as pie. Then maybe he could figure out why his head hurt too, and why Michael had changed so drastically for such a simple goal.

 

Jeremy would save Michael. He would make sure of it.


	6. Parties Were Never Their Thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo, Ari here! Thank you all for your insane support and comments. This might be our most commented per chapter fic, and I adore it so much! 
> 
> You guys might not adore this chapter though... The songs that would be taking place in this chapter (it's only eight pages in Google Doc) go from Halloween all the way to Guy I'd Kinda Be Into Reprise. So... it's a heavy-hitter, and there is a situation that is similar to 'Do You Wanna Hang' but the furthest that it goes is unwanted kissing, so you know! Also, underaged drinking and some smoking happens in this chapter, as well as some blossoming of a friendship that will go on through the end of the fic that I had a blast writing with Mara. There is also one short excerpt at the end that I wrote that I adore, even if it's super painful...
> 
> But... yeah, don't hate us /too/ much. 
> 
>  
> 
> And now, a word from Mara, my favowite pewson: 
> 
> 'Hey lovelies! Honestly you guys blow me away every update. I’m so glad you’re enjoying our stories and our ideas so much, it honestly means the world! Trust me when I say we don’t plan on stopping any time soon. Writing with Ari is legitimately my favourite thing to do, and having you guys support it so completely honestly warms my heart!
> 
> This chapter is hard. Jeremy is finally aware of the SQUIP’s control and Michael is still unaware of how much he’s, sorry /they’ve/, changed. Halloween is still gonna happen though, so it’s up to our brave protagonist to try to save his best friend. If he wasn’t so out of it, anyways.'

Michael got so worried after Jeremy left. They had just told Jeremy what they were doing... What was so wrong about it? They tried to figure out, along with SQUIP’s guidance, what they did wrong as they text Jeremy (and got no replies), tried to look for Jeremy (with no luck finding him), and even knocking on Jeremy’s door (with no answer). They waited the perfect amount of time before sending him a text, but ended up stopping after some point by sending one last text (Jeremy’s phone was off, it wouldn’t be received until he turned it back on): _I’ll see you tomorrow at Jake’s Halloween party!_

 

SQUIP assured them that the exclamation mark wasn’t too much.

 

And here they were, at Jake’s hot Halloween party, talking with anyone who came to talk to them while waiting for Jeremy’s arrival. It did get harder the further away they were constantly being dragged from the door, but they were doing their best. This was their first big party. They would be sure to apologize to Jeremy, get him to understand, and help him to build his social status. Hopefully he dressed in the costume they helped him get.

 

Michael was almost worried that Jeremy wouldn’t turn up, but then they caught sight of him. A flash of brown hair being lead upstairs, away from the party. Except Jeremy didn’t seem to be wearing his Han Solo costume, he was wearing something red. And from the quick glance they had gotten, it looked like Jeremy was wearing _glasses_ even. What was going on?

 

Determined to know what was going on and what happened, Michael went upstairs, going after Jeremy. Of course, there were crowds everywhere, but Michael did their best to navigate through and be sure they didn’t lose sight of Jeremy... which they did.

 

It was fine, they could easily find him. They went around, quickly giving a smile and a wave or finger guns to whoever waved, doing quick parameter searches in each area or room, narrowing down where Jeremy would be second by second. They’d find him and whoever he went with then be able to talk and apologize to Jeremy. After all, they knew Jeremy trusted them deep down. They couldn’t ruin that sacred trust. It was what made their SQUIP bond with Jeremy so important and compatible.

 

“Okay, it doesn’t look like he’s up here. I’ll go check downstairs now.” That was Jeremy and he sounded very uncomfortable. Not too far away. Michael checked the first room he came across.

 

“You could just... stay for a bit longer,” a voice, female and very intoxicated, simpered. There was a small thud, like someone was being pushed against a wall.

 

“Hey! Quit it, hands off Rachel! I’m _not_ interested!” Jeremy sounded panicked now. Michael had to find him.

 

“I could _make_ you interested. I could do a lot of things for you.”

 

“Get off! Hey! Leave me alone!” Jeremy was obviously struggling against the girl but was unwilling to fight her. He wouldn’t hurt anyone if he could avoid it.

 

Michael went down the line of rooms, eventually finding Jeremy in what seemed to be Jake’s parents’ room. They saw their classmate Rachel trying to kiss Jeremy, though was clearly too intoxicated to aim her kisses properly. She kept missing his face and hitting the wall.

 

In an instant, Michael was over, pulling Rachel back and settling her down on the bed, which she flopped back against and started to drunkenly laugh and talk to herself. They were right back over at Jeremy, not touching him yet. He was very vulnerable and sensitive right now, and they had to analyze every second and act appropriately in the moment. There was no perfect way to deal with what Jeremy just felt.

 

They were so focused on that, they almost didn’t notice that Jeremy was wearing their old hoodie. Why would he wear that ratty old thing, which they knew he took, over the nice costume that would have been better- _focus_. “Jeremy?”

 

Jeremy was shivering a little, watching both Michael and the bed warily. Understandable. “Thanks.” His voice was a little croaky from his fear but it was the tone which struck Michael as odd. He sounded almost _angry_. Why would he be upset in that respect?

 

Despite this error they could not figure out (SQUIP quickly reassured them that it was figuring it out while they handled Jeremy), they offered a gentle hand and looked softly at Jeremy. “Of course. Let’s get out of here, yeah? Someplace quieter and not near Rachel.”

 

Jeremy stared at Michael’s hand distrustfully before slowly taking it and letting himself be led away. Okay, good. Jeremy still trusted them at least a bit, they could work from this point.

 

Michael guided Jeremy down to the bathroom and locked the door behind them. Jeremy instantly dropped their hand and stalked over to the bathtub, wrapping his arms around himself and trying to control his shivers. He also seemed to be hyperventilating to some degree, and his eyes were indicating a fear response much greater than just what he had experienced.

 

Michael slowly made their way over to Jeremy, hands up in mock surrender (for what, they still had no idea, but they could work with this). They couldn’t get a diagnosis, something happened when they hadn’t been around him. “What’s upsetting you so much, Jeremy? What can I do to help?”

 

“Back up, for one thing,” Jeremy bit back, shooting a weak glare in Michael’s direction. Ah. Judging by the slightly unfocused look in his eyes and his red cheeks, he had drunk some of the punch. Michael knew that Dustin Kropp had spiked it with some very strong vodka, but the flavor was (apparently) enough to cover up the taste of booze. Jeremy was tipsy at the very least. This complicated things.

 

They could work with this though, they would just need to go along as everything happened. They needed to be compliant right now, so they did as Jeremy requested. “Alright, done.”

 

“Yeah, well... good.” Jeremy sat down, relaxing a little but barely looking at Michael. They were about to ask if there was anything else he needed when Jeremy finally spoke up. “What happened to us, man? How’d we end up like... this?” He sort of flailed his arms between himself and Michael, sighing heavily.

 

They weren’t entirely sure what Jeremy meant by that. What they had going was a good thing, they were helping him and improving him and making him happy in the long run. Wasn’t that what Jeremy wanted?

 

Instead of voice that, they slowly moved forward, a little at a time, as they spoke. “Time changes a lot of things, but things always work out in the end for us. We’ll get through this, I promise.”

 

Jeremy didn’t look up, instead he just shook his head. “No, it doesn’t. This is... not us. Not how we’re _supposed_ to be. We don’t even _look_ like ourselves anymore, Mikey. I look more like you than you do right now!”

 

Oh, so he was clinging to the past. OK, they could work with that. That was easy.

 

They were standing close, squatting down in front of him a moment later. “I know that lingering onto the past hurts. Reflecting can be painful and can drag you back down to that time and make you long for things. We look through rose-tinted glasses, though. Everything isn’t always as good as they seemed, but we can still take the good parts and-“

 

“That’s just it, this isn’t good! And get away from me!” Jeremy half fell backwards from where he was perched on the edge of the tub, scrambling over to the toilet, closing the lid and sitting there instead, eyes focused in a fearful glare, locked firmly on Michael. “I don’t want to hear your tricky words, Michael. They’re not good for me!”

 

Tricky words? Oh, they should try to focus on embracing more of the past for now. They needed to keep Jeremy safe and calm him down before they could try to talk logically to him.

 

“I’m sorry, Jeremy, I should have been more considerate to your feelings.” They stood and took a few steps back, hands back to being raised.

 

Jeremy curled up, pulling his knees to his chest and sniffled miserably. “Michael would have known that already,” he mumbled, hiding his face against his knees.

 

Well, they _were_ Michael. They weren’t sure exactly what Jeremy was getting at there. “But... I _am_ Michael, Jeremy. Your best friend, your SQUIP.”

 

Jeremy’s head shot up, eyes wide as he pointed an accusing finger at Michael. “That’s just it! You’re a SQUIP! You’re not Michael anymore. And- and- and- I want _my_ Michael back.” He slumped over and started sniffling again, falling against his legs.

 

All of these conflicting statements hurt their head a little, but they pushed through it. They had to, for Jeremy. “I _am_ a SQUIP, but I’m still your Michael, I never left.”

 

“Yes you did,” he grumbled, not looking up. “You vanished and it’s all my fault. Because I wanted to be popular. Because I wanted a girl who was only ever gonna be a friend. And I’m so _sorry_ Michael. I just want it all to go back. I want my Mikey back.” How much had Jeremy drank?

 

They thought for a moment, though couldn’t find any clear way to help comfort Jeremy since he was such a wild card right now. “But I’m still here, Jeremy. I may be different, but Mikey’s still here,” they promised, trying their best. They weren’t trained to handle situations like this though, SQUIP never covered this.

 

Jeremy shook his head, effectively nuzzling against his knees.

 

A few options ran through their head before they settled on something they knew. Slowly getting closer, Michael readied themselves to rub at the relaxing spots on Jeremy’s back. That would help him while they comforted him. “Yes, I promise I never left, Remy-“

 

It seemed like it might be working, because Jeremy started relaxing under his hand, but then Jeremy bolted upright and smacked their hand away and scrambled away to the door. “Yes you did. You’re not Michael, you’re just wearing his face! Michael wouldn’t shock me, he wouldn’t hurt me ever! Doesn’t matter _why_ he’d be hurting me, he wouldn’t do it! I want the _old_ you back! I want the old _us_ back!” he cried, crashing into the sink and probably earning himself a nasty bruise.

 

Michael held their smacked hand close, still so confused as to why Jeremy would want to go back. Why would he want that? “But the old me, the old us, we were nobodies. We had no real friends, we were recluses. No one knew who we were unless it was to pick on us or use us. We were losers.”

 

“We had each other, that was enough! I love our new friends but I was _happy_ with just you! _We_ were happy! And what’s wrong with being a loser? There’s never been a better time in history to be a loser!” Jeremy was borderline hysterical, as if he was seeing something terrifying.

 

“You weren’t happy as a loser before Jeremy, that’s why we did all of this,” Michael pointed out with a slight frown as they took a careful step forward. “I just want you to be happy. That’s all I want.”

 

“Well I’m _not_ happy!” Jeremy half screamed, though it was covered outside by the music playing. The comment made Michael stop in place. “I’m not happy being shocked and- and- oh god, you’ve been training me. Training me like a fucking _dog_ , haven’t you? That’s what the mantras and the pressure points and all that shit was about! You’ve been making me a pet or a doll or something!” Jeremy’s eyes were wide and he was laughing hysterically. Michael could see that Jeremy was basically having a panic attack, but they couldn’t help because apparently _they_ were the trigger.

 

“You’re not Michael. You’re not my Player One, or even my friend. You’re not even _human_ anymore, are you? That computer in your head, it’s _killing_ you and you can’t even see it! It’s turning you into a machine and it’s been turning _me_ into it’s fucking _pet_! You’re not Michael anymore, you’re a monster!” Jeremy had tears streaming down his face but he was laughing. It was a hollow, heart broken sound, and he was clutching the sleeves of Michael’s old hoodie desperately. Without another word (but with a harsh sob), Jeremy unlocked the door and slammed it behind him.

 

Michael couldn’t help but stare at the door Jeremy just left from. Their chest hurt (that wasn’t supposed to happen). Their throat was tight (why was this happening?). Their eyes stung (what did they do _wrong_?). Their body shook (they were listening to SQUIP, it knew best, it was practically their mentor!).

 

Walking to the sink, Michael rested their hands against the cool marble top, staring at themselves in the mirror as they wore their Neo costume. They were doing everything right. They were trying to help Jeremy. They were good and helpful and Jeremy’s best friend.

 

Why was he scared of them then?

 

They felt their shoulders shake and watched tears run down their face, which they couldn’t stop. It hurt, this hurt, they just wanted it all to stop. They never cared about themselves before, there was no need to. Why? Why? _Why_?

 

For the first time in ages, they saw a flicker over their shoulder before glowing hands rested on their shoulders. It was comforting, even as the tears kept falling.

 

“ **It’s OK to cry. Everything will be alright. You need to go home though, Michael. We will figure this out then.** ”

 

With a nod, they scrubbed at their eyes, sniffling, and managed to leave the bathroom in time for Jenna to use it. They saw her look at them with worry, but they hurried away before she could react. For once, they just wanted to be alone, without Jeremy.

 

 

 

Jeremy wasn’t in a much better state. He had _intended_ to leave and storm off home, but he had been intercepted by a very worried looking Christine, who had guided him over to a couch. Jeremy noticed that she looked just as devastated as he felt.

 

“So, what’s got you so upset?” Jeremy asked- well, croaked. His throat was tight and he just wanted to curl up and die (not really, but it would be easier than dealing with the shit hole he was stuck in).

 

“Well, Jake and I broke up. We weren’t on the same wavelength, and I tried to be someone I wasn’t,” she told him after some dude who looked like some weird yeti creature left. Christine fiddled with the ribbon coming from her cone princess hat. “I suggested we dress as a princess and prince. I gave up some of myself to be a slutty princess and he was the musician Prince. It’s for the better of both of us, I think. I don’t think we matched well...”

 

After pushing and messing with her flimsy hoop skirt, she focused in on Jeremy then. “What about you though? You look horrible, Jeremy, no offense.”

 

“I feel worse,” Jeremy snorted, no humor in his tone. “I just sort of best friend broke up with Michael I think. He’s... he’s not the person I used to know.”

 

In the background of all the noise and chaos of the party, Jeremy could faintly hear Rich screaming about something.

 

Christine ignored it for now as she reached over carefully for Jeremy’s hand. “Oh Jeremy, I... I’m sorry. I can’t even imagine since you guys grew up together-“

 

“Jeremy!” Rich almost screamed, leaning over the couch back and in his face. His eyes were wild, guilty, and practically begging for him to help. “Hey, my friend! Listen, do you know where I could get some Mountain Dew Red?”

 

Before Jeremy could answer, Rich grumbled and pulled back, whacking at the side of his neck as he ran around, screaming and yelling about the discontinued soda. There was a beat before Christine seemed unable to hold back her laughter. “Oh my _god_. Popular people are _sooo_ craaazy!”

 

Jeremy couldn’t help it. He started laughing too, letting out as much pressure as he could. When was the last time he was just allowed to laugh like this? When was he last allowed to giggle and snort and not care about how it looked? “Yeah, they really are,” he agreed, shoving his hands into the pocket of the (his?) hoodie.

 

Christine looked at him weirdly, a mix of confusion and amusement lingering on her face. “But _you’re_ one of the popular people.”

 

Oh, right. Not anymore. Jeremy was leaving that life behind from now on, Michael could have it all to himself. “Well not really. I was only popular thanks to my SQUIP controlled ass. Leaving that all behind now.” Jeremy snorted (Michael _was_ being an ass), then he froze. Shitshitshitshitshit! “Er, never mind. Forget I said anything.”

 

At that, any relaxed or comfortable vibe Jeremy got from Christine vanished. Her eyes widened and she seemed to sober up (well, as far as he knew, she wasn't drunk, but she got _real_ serious _real_ quick). "Please tell me you just said 'quick' and not what I think you just said."

 

“Wait, you-“ He looked around and scooted closer. “-you know about SQUIPs?”

 

Christine's lips were a thin line as she quickly nodded. "This kid at my theater summer camp took one, and he went crazy trying to get it out. He's in a mental hospital right now. That's why I _need_ to know if you have one."

 

“I... not exactly.” Shit, this was worse than he thought. Michael wasn’t just changed, he was in danger! “Michael- He- I- Michael took one for me. He’s sort of _become_ my SQUIP and that’s why we just had an argument. I have a SQUIP but not in my head.”

 

"You..." She seemed to be thinking, fidgeting hard with the ribbon as she peered off before looking back at Jeremy. If he thought she was being serious before, he had no clue of her being serious until _now_. "Jeremy, this is very important and very serious. You need to tell me _exactly_ what you mean by that."

 

Jeremy squirmed, guilt welling up in his chest as he thought about what happened. “I was gonna take a SQUIP, but I was nervous. Michael took it for me. He made himself my guide and made it his job to help me and shit. But he started changing and now he’s not even Michael anymore, I barely recognize him.” He curled up and started fiddling with his sleeves, picking at them. When did he take on so many of Michael’s old fidgets?

 

Christine's slightly-calloused hands gently took one of Jeremy's then, and he let her intertwine their fingers as he looked up at her. There was worry, a hint of determination, and something else in her eyes. "Jeremy, _how_ has he changed? This is _very_ important."

 

“He- He doesn’t laugh anymore. He doesn’t mess around or anything. He’s just... focused. Empty. Not Michael anymore. And he’s doing all this stupid shit to make me behave. Pressure points, mantras which I can’t even really remember, and fucking _shocking_ me if I do something wrong. He’s just not... human anymore.” Jeremy sniffled, scrubbing at his eyes with the sleeve of his hoodie (this was his hoodie now. So he could remember and since Michael didn’t want it, didn’t _deserve_ it anymore).

 

Jeremy felt Christine tense up then. Looking up, he saw her scanning around before gently tugging on his hand. "C'mon, Jeremy."

 

"Wh-"

 

"We need to talk in private, which is _definitely_ not here, and you're drunk. I'm taking you back to my house, helping you sober up, and we're talking about this," she told him, holding part of her princess skirt and hoop up with her hat in one hand and Jeremy's hand in the other as he tugged. "Come on."

 

Jeremy let himself be lead for the second time that night, feeling fear pool in his gut once again. It was for a different reason this time though, not because of Michael but _for_ Michael. If Michael was still in there somehow (he might be, he looked hurt when Jeremy yelled), then he was in danger according to Christine.

 

Jeremy climbed into Christine’s car and looked back at the house with worry. He wondered if Michael was still in there, having fun. Was he even able to have fun? Jeremy settled back down and watched the road, letting himself drift off for the time being. He had to help Michael, he needed to. Despite it all, Jeremy still loved him, the him he used to be. This was Jeremy’s fault. He needed to fix this.

 

 

 

Rich was so desperate. No one had the damned thing. He had gotten high, someone had handed him a blunt since he looked panicked (he _was_ , his SQUIP telling him about all the things that happened with Mell, how he wasn’t _him_ anymore, he was now _they_ ). He was so glad his SQUIP was outdated, too slow to get him to stop, because the high _freed_ him in more ways than one.

 

It was off, he was free.

 

But no one fucking had some damn Mountain Dew Red! He saw the scramble of information dance in his head (weed really messed up the damn SQUIP's system), including how to turn it off. Of fucking course it had to be a fucking nineties discontinued soda!

 

There were minute glitches, he felt his SQUIP slowly coming back. He couldn't go back, he couldn't let this happy hivemind spread. Somehow, he had to stop it.

 

Looking around, he saw one of Jake's jack-o-lanterns from where he stood on his back porch. Reverently, he picked it up. "I won't let you hurt or kill anyone else," he muttered out, determined as he had a plan in mind as he walked back inside.


	7. Jeremy Months Ago Would Be in Heaven Right Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo folks, Ari here! This chapter is also shorter, about ten pages in Google Doc, but it's very important. Jeremy gets a new ally and we meet one of the best characters in this fic! I won't give spoilers, but I love her to death.
> 
> It gets very painful, and I've been adoring all of your comments and support (though Mara has as well)! We are so grateful to you guys, and we aren't going anywhere anytime soon with fics. We have lots of ideas for fics still and will keep writing for as long as we can and want to (which doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon, so woo!).
> 
> Also, I'd say this chapter covers a bit of 'Smartphone Hour' and a little of 'Pitiful Children' (I know, a bit is weird, but both are sort of spread over this chapter and the next at least in terms of plot, this is where some things get a little loosey-goosey with how the songs are in order and such and how the story follows it.)
> 
>  
> 
> And now, a few words from my favowite pewson, Mara:
> 
> 'Hey lovelies! So... this chapter really gets hurty at the very end. Sure, it’s not sunshine and rainbows throughout (although there is a new character would could be made of them) but the end really hits hard. Also, can I just say I adore Christine and how awesome and weird she is? Because I really really do. Finally, thank you all so much for your continuous support. I know I say it every chapter but it honestly does mean the world to me. Your comments make my days better! <3333'

Jeremy’s head was a mess of pain and guilt. Nothing was clear and everything hurt, especially his heart. Michael was gone, possibly totally erased, and Jeremy kept seeing Michael’s body standing in front of him.

 

It was smiling that creepy fucking smile and sparks danced on it’s fingers. It was coming for Jeremy. He tried to run, to wake Michael up, but nothing was working. He tripped and Michael was inches from grasping his arm, making him that obedient pet again, when the world shook and blurred.

 

“Jeremy, wake up. We’re here.” Jeremy blearily opened his eyes, and found Chrissy looking at him with worry. His face felt wet with fresh tears.

 

“Wher’z’ee?” Well Jeremy _tried_ to ask where Michael was, but it didn’t exactly come out clearly. Weird.

 

"There's no other 'he' here besides you," Christine told him then, giving as reassuring of a smile as she could as he heard the engine shut off. "I need to get you into my house though, so hold on a second." She vanished from view, the door shutting softly before, a few seconds later, he felt cool air blowing against him from his right. "C'mon Jeremy."

 

Jeremy fumbled to undo his seat-belt (he was in a _car_. In Christine’s car. Jeremy of the past would have loved this!) and grabbed Christine’s hand. His head felt heavy and his thoughts felt thick and soupy. Heh. He had brain soup. What was wrong with him? He felt drunk but he only had like a cup and a half of that punch, which was _clearly_ labeled as non-alcoholic! He was trying to be good.

 

He felt Christine, even if she was a bit smaller than him, shift him around until he had an arm over her shoulder and was leaning against him. "There we go, you're doing great, Jeremy," she reassured him after managing to somehow kick her car door shut. She locked it up before heading up the driveway, onto her porch, and eventually into her house after she fumbled with her keychain full of charms and other keychains.

 

After a minute, he was put down onto the plush couch in the living room. "Stay right here," she said, but quickly adjusted him so he was lying down on his side, face towards the edge of the couch. "If you get sick, that's fine, just try to warn me. I don't _think_ you're gonna get sick though, you just seem drunk... What did I need to get you? Oh, right, water!" Christine hurried off then, leaving him alone for a minute.

 

Jeremy burrowed down into his hoodie, trying to surround himself in the comforting (but fading) smell of weed and old sodas. It helped ground him, helped him focus. He needed to help Michael, he needed his best friend back. Jeremy might not need a SQUIP, but he needed a Michael. He was the only reason Jeremy had made it through his life thus far, Jeremy couldn’t _survive_ without his first true friend.

 

He only came back to reality when he saw a hand gently waving in front of his face, Christine’s hand (which had on lovely aquamarine nail polish). “Hey, I got you some water and a bottle of Gatorade. Let me help you sit up. Can you grab onto my hand?”

 

Jeremy nodded and took her hand. With a bit of assistance, Jeremy forced himself back upright, pulling the hood up and just half hiding in the warmth and safety it provided. He wasn’t scared of Christine, he was scared of Michael finding him again. How did things get so bad that Jeremy was scared of the person he (previously) trusted most? Quickly, Jeremy fumbled with his phone, sending a text to his dad letting him know he was staying out tonight (Jeremy didn’t _like_ his dad all that much but he still cared and it was good manners anyways... that was Michael’s new voice in his head. Damnit.) before he switched it off.

 

“Jus’ letting my dad know m’safe. Tryin’a be good and polite and shit. But I dun’ wanna have Mikey finding us, ‘cause this is a secret meeting, right?” he explained, putting his phone on the side. When did his head get so heavy? It wasn’t this bad at the party. Maybe there was alcohol or something else in the punch that took a while to fully hit him? Ugh, great.

 

Christine smiled softly and sadly as she nodded. “Yeah, it is, and good. I was gonna say that you might wanna tell him ‘cause I’m watching over you. We can talk for a bit, you’ll drink and stay hydrated, and we can, if you’re feeling up to it, try to find something nice on Netflix before going to bed, yeah?” she offered verbally while she physically offered him a nice, cool glass of water.

 

Jeremy nodded and accepted the glass. He downed half of it in one go, liking how the chill cleared his head a little. “I hate that I’m scared of him. He’s supposed to be my Mikey, not... this,” he mumbled, sipping the water again.

 

He eyes weren’t really focusing on anything, but he _was_ focused on one thing: Michael. That was all he could think about, Micheal and how he was and how he used to be and how Jeremy could help and how this was _all_ his fault. He needed to vent these thoughts. He finally understood why Michael talked incessantly whenever he was hyper fixated on something, it helped.

 

He felt the couch dip and saw Christine plopping herself down next to him, grumbling as she fiddled with her skirt. Her attention shifted back to him though, and she gave him that same smile. “Well... Would talking it out help? I know when things bother me, talking helps me out a lot, though I don’t know if that’s the same for you. Just say whatever’s on your mind.”

 

There were so many thoughts swirling around his head, where did he even begin? He opened his mouth to try, but all that came out was a sort of wheezy honk that his brain couldn’t exactly process. What the fuck? That wasn’t a Michael related sound.

 

Christine blinked, a silence washing over them for a few seconds before making her own version of his honk. It was exaggerated and over-the-top, but... was she trying to help comfort him? By going along with what his mouth randomly spewed out?

 

Jeremy giggled a little. It _was_ a funny sound. And it made him feel a little better too. So, in true nerdy fashion (because he was _allowed_ to be nerdy and a loser if he wanted to be), he made a different sound, sort of a wibbly sound like jelly made in cartoons (or his best approximation of it).

 

Christine snickered a bit in response, clearly trying to hold it together, before making a different sound of her own. It sounded like she was trying to mimic the sounds of a theremin, making weird arm movements as she did so.

 

Jeremy mimicked a drum kit, flailing around a little and ending with a (quiet) honk at the end before he burst out laughing. He was glad Christine had taken his water after his last noise because he fell over again, giggling too hard to sit upright.

 

As he fell over, Christine was trying to keep her own laughter down, grabbing a decorative pillow from the couch and burying her face into it. Her voice was muffled against the pillow, so he could barely even tell (but he _did_ tell) she was talking at some point as her laughter calmed down.

 

After a while of trying to control his laughter, Jeremy sort of flailed in Christine’s direction and gently grabbed her. He pulled her into a gentle hug (she let him and it felt so nice to just be held sweetly like this), still giggling a little.

 

“Thanks Chrissy. You’re the best,” he mumbled, squeezing her gently. Strangely enough, even though Christine was hugging him back, she was actually managing to _avoid_ all his pressure points. Whether on purpose or by accident, Jeremy didn’t know, but he was so happy to just be held _normally_ , no influence on his emotions besides the usual human type.

 

"I do my best," she mused out as he felt her gently squeeze him back, letting out a singsong-y sigh. "I'll help any way I can." She didn't push him or anything, she didn't pressure him, she just let him be.

 

“I... I’m scared Chrissy. This is all my fault and I’ve lost my best friend because of it. And I can’t even trust my own brain anymore, I don’t know what’s in it,” he admitted after a minute more of cuddling. “I don’t know what to do. I just want my Mikey back but I don’t know if it’s even possible.”

 

"You didn't know Jeremy, how were you supposed to know?" she pointed out, voice soft. "After all this is over and after we get your Mikey back, we'll get you help. There'll be places who can help you after, I know it."

 

“I’m so scared right now though. I’m scared of _him_ and it feels so wrong. I wanna get better and I want Michael back, but I feel sick because I’m scared of him.” Jeremy hid his face against Chrissy’s hair. “Part of me still loves him and I dunno if it’s real or if he made me like that.”

 

"Well, _he_ didn't do any of that, his SQUIP did," Chrissy told him, sounding thoughtful. "I think his SQUIP just made Michael an extension of itself, but he's still in there. You have to believe in him. I know it's messed up too, everything you had to have gone through, but I think you still care about him, really and truly, because you wouldn't be wanting to save him and keep talking about how you wanted the old Michael, _your_ Michael, back."

 

Jeremy nodded, sort of nuzzling against Christine’s hair. That made sense. Jeremy didn’t love the SQUIP Michael, he loved _his_ Michael. And his Michael was in danger. “Y’said something about needing to talk? D’you have some ideas of how I can help him?”

 

"Well, I just wanted to know if Michael ever explicitly told you what he set his goals for with his SQUIP," Christine told him then. "I... I don't know how to turn SQUIPs off, I wish I did, but maybe we could get some insight. My friend and Michael are the only two people, technically you had one though, I've ever met who have SQUIPs, so we don't have much to work with..."

 

“Rich has one. He’s the one who told me about them, but he’s got an old model,” Jeremy explained, feeling himself relax a little. Chrissy gave really good hugs. She was squishy and soft in the nicest ways. “And Michael’s goals... they were to help me be popular and make me happy, I think? He just told me he’d be my guide, so my goals were his goals to start with. I dunno what his goals are now or if they changed or anything.”

 

"Alright," she muttered out before Jeremy felt her gently tap his shoulder. He looked up and saw her shifting, opening up the Gatorade bottle and holding it to him. He took it with one hand, drinking half of it before giving it back and rewrapping his arm around her and resettling. "Why were those your goals though?"

 

Jeremy squirmed a little. “I have anxiety. And a sort of depression. I wanted it to stop, so that’s the whole being happy thing. As for the popular thing...” Might as well come clean for _all_ the reasons. He needed to trust Chrissy, she deserved the whole truth. And Jeremy wasn’t embarrassed by it anymore either. “Well I was tired of being pushed around since Michael and I were at the bottom of the social ladder. And- and I thought if I was popular it would stop, and I’d stand a chance with you. Cause I used to have a crush on you, but then I got to know you and I realised we’re better as friends because you’re awesome but it was just admiration and not romantic style feelings that I had for you... Sorry if that makes you uncomfortable.”

 

Christine just grinned down at him then before giving him a quick squeeze. "Well, that's very touching. I'm not uncomfortable at all! As for the other stuff, well... After this, you'll have friends who'll be there for you, more than just you and Michael. And you can get help with your anxiety and depression when you're getting help for other stuff," she told him before shifting and taking out her phone. "Sorry, 'm just gonna text Rich if that's OK. Gonna try to see if I can get anything outta him on SQUIP stuff."

 

“He won’t talk SQUIP stuff with anyone unless his SQUIP says he can,” Jeremy told her quietly. “Even if he was acting crazy tonight, he won’t be _able_ to talk about it. SQUIPs manipulate how you behave and make certain things totally off limits.”

 

She sighed then, putting her phone down before looking down at herself. "Alright, well... I'm gonna go get changed and bring down my laptop and some blankets and stuff. You drink the rest of your water and stuff before I get back, got it?"

 

Jeremy nodded and let her go properly. “I will.” She started towards the stairs. “And for the record, I think you’re cool just as you are. You don’t need to give up a bit of yourself to be awesome.” He didn’t know _why_ he felt that was important to say, but it was. And it was his _own_ voice saying it in his head, not the cold version of Michael’s voice instructing him.

 

She hesitated for a moment, looking back at him before smiling wide. "Thank you, Jeremy," Christine said, voice soft and genuine before heading upstairs.

 

 

 

The next morning, Jeremy awoke with a groan. His head hurt like a bitch, and he wasn’t sure exactly how well he slept (he kept having nightmares). Still, he was alive, so that was something.

 

With a sort of huff, he forced his eyes open, only to be met with a black ball of fluff sitting on his pillow and staring at him. He drew back, eyes wide, and realized it was a very cute looking black cat. It nuzzled his face, purring a little, before settling over on his chest. Well. This was different.

 

Jeremy looked around and found himself in an unfamiliar house, lying on a couch with a blanket over him and Michael’s hoodie still on. Oh. Memories of last night, of Michael and Christine and everything, came rushing back (the cat was still absent in his memories, but he guess it was Christine’s cat, Snowball, that she had mentioned. He loved the ironic name).

 

Looking around further, Jeremy spotted a glass of water, a couple of pills, and a sticky note on the table next to him, along with his glasses. Chrissy was really looking out for him, wasn’t she?

 

When he reached over and grabbed his glasses and the note, he started to read. Christine's handwriting was bubbly and a bit messy, but it was still quite legible. She also didn't dot any of her 'i's.

 

' _Jeremy,_

' _I hope you're doing OK this morning. Be sure to stay hydrated and take the Advil! I'm always up at 8 AM sharp, so if you're up before me, I'll hopefully be down soon!_

' _Lots of (platonic) love, Christine_ '

 

At the end, there was a little black cat drawn, which he assumed was Snowball, who was now currently making noises and trying to wiggle around to look at what he had (and eat it too).

 

Jeremy giggled and scratched her behind her ears. She melted against him, purring again, and going back to ignoring the sticky note. “Hey Snowball. You’re a cute kitty, aren’t you?” he cooed, holding her carefully as he sat up, and situating her on his lap. He quickly took the Advil (the sunlight sneaking through the curtains was killer on his head) and drank half the water before laying back down and going back to stroking Snowball.

 

She continued to make little chirps and other cat noises Jeremy couldn't identify as she grabbed at his fingers, attempting to try to bite his hands. Snowball did this a few times, though her claws never came out, so she was hopefully playing(?) with him and wasn't actually thinking she was attacking, because... uh... yeah, she was failing.

 

He giggled again. She was so sweet, and just the sort of stupid cuteness he absolutely adored (but never admitted). He was so distracted playing with the little ball of love that he didn’t notice someone coming down the stairs. He was too busy cooing over how brave and strong the little kitty was for attacking his fingers. (Yes, he was a dork. And that was okay. He needed to keep reminding himself of that fact and overriding the SQUIP’s voice.)

 

He only came out of it when Snowball's head suddenly jerked around, and she started to wiggle weirdly where she sat in Jeremy's lap as she made another cat noise he couldn't identify (was this cat actually making up new cat noises?). Looking up, he saw Christine coming over with two bowls of cereal stretched across one arm and a bowl of cat food in her free hand.

 

Seeing what she needed, Jeremy reached over and took the bowls before she put down Snowball's food bowl. She made a happy chirping noise before hopping off, sniffing her food, and digging her face in.

 

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Christine asked, voice soft while her bed head was _insane_ as she sat down next to Jeremy.

 

“My head feels like splitting open, but it’ll be fine once the Advil kicks in. As for the rest of me? I’ll get back to you on that one.” He groaned, handing Christine back her bowl of cereal with a small thanks. “Part of me is currently fighting to go and do my usual routine, which I _know_ wouldn’t help me much right now. It’s all been set up by my SQUIP.” Jeremy was refusing to think of it as Michael anymore. That was the SQUIP, not Michael. He had to _rescue_ Michael from the SQUIP.

 

"Well... Today's Sunday, so I'll hang with you to break the routine! Breaking it will help, even if it hurts in the moment. Isn't that right, Snowball?" Said soot baby turned around, food stuck in her whiskers (it was wet), before she chirped and turned around, going back to stuffing her face full of food. Christine let out a dreamy sigh then before running her sock-covered foot along her cat's back. "She's an adorably stupid princess of the night."

 

“I love her.” Jeremy nodded seriously, but was grinning all the while. “And as for breaking the routine... it’s not gonna be easy. I wasn’t allowed a day off, so even Sundays were routine days. Feel free to sit on me if I try to go to a mirror or something. Or stick Snowball on my face.” He wasn’t sure how effective of a strategy it would be, but it coaxed a laugh out of Christine so that was a win in his book.

 

"Well, what kinda things did you do so I can be triple- no, _quadruple_ sure you don't do them?" Christine asked, stuffing her face with some of the Cap'n Crunch 'Oops! All Berries' cereal she poured for them.

 

Jeremy hummed in thought around his spoon before swallowing his mouthful. It had been a while since he actually had to _think_ about his routine. “Well I’d start the day by doing push ups, then I’d go do my mantras in the mirror. After that, it’s shower and get ready for the day. Then I’d either meet Michael for school or go over to his place to study and sometimes play video games if I’d been working extra hard.” It had been a while since he’d been allowed to play, even though he’d been trying his best at everything. They just didn’t have time apparently.

 

"Well we aren't doing _any_ studying today. We're going to binge stuff I have on my laptop, like Netflix shows and musical bootlegs I have," she told him before looking down. Jeremy looked down to see Snowball staring up at them, making her weird cat noises (maybe he should just consider them Snowball noises) before hopping up, falling back, and trying a few more times. Jeremy reached over to help, but Christine dismissed him quickly. "She gets upset if you help her up. Let her be proud of herself."

 

Jeremy chuckled and watched her. “She’s literally the sweetest thing I’ve ever encountered. She was right by my face when I woke up and then she instantly decided my chest was her new favourite spot to nap.” He looked over to Christine. “Also what musicals are we talking? Because if you have Heathers I know _all_ of JD’s lines from the original show. Michael and I would watch it when we were high all last summer.” He smiled fondly at the memory, his chest seizing a little. He took another mouthful of cereal to distract himself from the pain.

 

"I have that, Mean Girls, The Lightning Thief, and some others," Christine told him with a huge grin before gently nudging his shoulder with her own. She quickly pulled back though when, somehow, Snowball hopped up and managed to leap right at the space between their shoulders before flopping back, making a weird meow-chirp mix of a noise.

 

“She did it!” Jeremy cheered quietly, giggling as she nuzzled his cheek. “And I think it’s safe to say she likes me.”

 

"She likes almost anyone and everyone. She's a terrible guard-pet," Christine said. "She'd sell me for one corn chip, and she'd end up choking on that and dying."

 

“She’s an adorable, stupid, little ball of soot and I love her.” Jeremy pressed a kiss to Snowball’s head and got a little purr in return. Christine grabbed her laptop from the side and set it up on her lap, only to be assaulted by a string of notification sounds as soon as it was turned on. “What’s going on? That’s too many messages for it to anything but drama.”

 

"I don't know, I normally never get notifications for that kind of stuff. I only follow our friends on Twitter, and even then I never check it," she muttered out, eventually seeing they came from Discord. Christine quickly opened it, and Jeremy's eyes widened at what he read from Jenna's personal messages to Christine.

 

LookAtThisPhotograph: Hey Chrissy, I saw you taking Jeremy out earlier and I thought you both should know there was a fire at Jakes

LookAtThisPhotograph: Rich got high and ended up lighting the place up with a jack-o-lantern while muttering under his breath

LookAtThisPhotograph: Chloe, Brooke, and I are trying to combat the fake news and rumors and I'm telling people what basically happened

LookAtThisPhotograph: Jake broke his legs too while jumping out of the second story of his house and he and Rich are both in the Intensive Care Unit right now

LookAtThisPhotograph: If anyone bugs you guys for info, DM me their username and I'll make sure they back the hell off

LookAtThisPhotograph: Stay safe, love you guys lots

LookAtThisPhotograph: Also, just called the ICU and they said Jake'll be back in school Friday probably, but on crutches, but Rich won't even be available to visitors until Thursday so we should visit him

 

“How could this happen? Rich set a fire and tried to burn down Jake’s house? Surely his SQUIP-“ His SQUIP should have stopped him, unless he got _free_ from his SQUIP somehow. That would explain his erratic behavior. But why burn it down unless...- unless he didn’t plan on making it out. He was trying to _destroy_ his SQUIP. Something must have caught him off guard. Maybe Michael? Maybe something else.

 

“I think he was trying kill off himself and his SQUIP,” Jeremy muttered, feeling oddly detached from the situation suddenly. He felt the need to flip up his hood and maybe put on some music. Music would be a good distraction from this feeling. The hood he could deal with immediately though, so he did.

 

Christine just sighed heavily from beside him then, quickly typing out a reply to Jenna that she and Jeremy would definitely head there ASAP to see him. "That... Yeah," she softly muttered out before quickly shutting down Discord and going to her files. "Let's think about that later though. Do you prefer hearing the dulcet tones of Ben Platt or George Salazar right now? Or maybe even Barrett Wilbert?"

 

“Let’s go George. Then Ben,” Jeremy sighed as he settled in. There wasn’t anything he could do now, he just had to deal. They would find a way to help Michael and they would help Rich too. For now though, Jeremy just had to watch Lightning Thief and enjoy George Salazar be a grumpy wine uncle.

 

 

 

Michael was pacing around in their room, trying to do something as they kept wondering what they did _wrong_. They did everything as SQUIP taught them but they failed! They failed Jeremy. They failed to make Jeremy happy. _They_ were making Jeremy miserable!

 

'What am I doing wrong, SQUIP? I thought I was doing everything right,' Michael thought before sitting down on their bed, feeling absolutely miserable. They hated feeling like this.

 

“ **It’s not your fault, Michael. You’ve been perfect. It’s Jeremy who had the issue,** ” SQUIP offered soothingly, it’s glowing form sitting on the bed next to them, wrapping an arm around Michael’s shoulders. “ **His mind has become corrupted by something in his environment, meaning he got scared and blamed the easiest target. He doesn’t hate you, and he’s not actually scared of you.** ”

 

They didn't realize they were crying until they reached up and wiped their face. 'But we're supposed to help Jeremy. He was doing so well! What went wrong? We should have been able to do something to help him, it was because we weren't there-'

 

“ **It’s not our fault. We’ve done everything perfectly to make sure Jeremy is even more perfect than before,** ” SQUIP said firmly. “ **This is the other students’ fault, the other humans’ fault. They all turned him against us, made him scared.** ”

 

'Well, we aren't their SQUIP, what are we going to do?' Michael asked him then, looking over at SQUIP for guidance.

 

SQUIP paused, thinking. “ **We could be...** ”

 

'We... we could?' Michael echoed, eyes wide. 'But how?'

 

“ **If we gave everyone a SQUIP, we could configure them to have exact duplicates of us instead of their own SQUIPs, ones we can control. Then we could be their SQUIPs and make sure they treat Jeremy right. And if we gave one to Jeremy then it would mean we could truly be his SQUIP without these physical limitations.** ” SQUIP’s voice was soft, thoughtful, but also excited. This was a _great_ idea!

 

'I... Yes, that's amazing, but I don't know if there are any SQUIPs left in the nearby vicinity,' Michael informed SQUIP. 'I don't think there will be anymore left at Payless. Plus, how would we get the other students to take one?'

 

“ **Richard had a large stash in his locker. We can pick them up tomorrow.** ” SQUIP stood and turned around to face Michael with a large grin. “ **As for application, all we need is a few to start with. Then they can help us spread and grow! All we need to do is get our friends to take one, even unwittingly, then we’re set!** ”

 

Something about this, somewhere deep in their chest, felt _wrong_. He didn't know why or how, but it did. This was to help Jeremy though, to help him be happy and loved and popular, right? Why did it feel _wrong_ then?

 

“ **It feels wrong because we’re worried about Jeremy. _Everything_ feels wrong right now. It’ll feel better when we start the network up. Promise.**”

 

Michael looked up at SQUIP then with wide, worried eyes. 'I...' They gnawed on their lower lip before quickly stopping, nodding as they stood then. 'Alright, yeah. It'll be better after we set this up. For Jeremy.'


	8. O.M.G. Please. Look. At. Me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, it's Ari here! We're reaching a very dangerous point in the story where things are getting tense and Jeremy doesn't know who to trust (well, besides Christine). I'd say we finish 'Smartphone Hour' and still continue on 'Pitiful Children' this chapter (you /could/ see it ending this chapter, but I like to see it as continuing on until the end of the next chapter), and have our own version of 'The Pants Song' during the end of this chapter. It's very sweet and I love it so much.
> 
> But things aren't sweet for a lot of people in this, and things definitely get worse. Don't hate us too much, please. Lots of love to you guys, your support has been amazing. <333
> 
>  
> 
> And now, a few words from my favowite pewson, Mara:
> 
> 'Hey lovelies! This chapter is where the /fun/ starts. Not only do we see the completion of ‘Pitiful Children’ where the SQUIP finally gets Michael to SQUIP someone, we also get some awesome Christine moments and our version of the ‘Pants Song’! So woo! Lots happening here! Jeremy... he’s not doing so good without his Player One, and things just keep getting worse for him. Christine is a literal Angel and Michael is confused and more lost than ever. Also Mr Heere is a sweetheart underneath all his awkward. We love him. He’s a good bean. Enjoy!'

At school on Monday, SQUIP reassured Michael that they didn’t need to pick Jeremy up. Just follow their normal routine of getting up, showered, dressed, and go to school instead of Jeremy’s house. (They hated how their chest hurt at the thought of Jeremy.)

 

When they got there, it was a bit less crowded since it was half an hour earlier than normal. Michael welcomed it as they walked into the school, heading to Rich’s locker. He came to school early more times than not, so maybe they could talk with him about handing it over.

 

On the way over, they noticed Christine watching them from her locker. They waved, but she didn’t respond, just turning away and seemingly telling herself something. Hm. They’d have to figure that out later.

 

Finally, they made it to Rich’s lo-

 

Cards were stuck to it, and balloons on sticks were stuck through the slits in the locker. There were even some balloon strings tied around those slits. Lots of ‘get well soon’ styled ones, and they had to stop at the sight.

 

‘What happened to Rich?’

 

“ **He set a fire at Jake’s party maybe half an hour after we left. He’s currently in the ICU for severe burns, along with Jake with burns and two broken legs** ,” SQUIP stated, voice quiet at it scrolled through social media. “ **I suspect his SQUIP was disabled and he panicked, leading him to act without thinking.** ”

 

‘Even without his SQUIP, why would he do that? That’s insane. Rich relied on his SQUIP for help and guidance, but he wasn’t irrational and reckless in that regard,’ Michael logically stated, still staring at the multitude of cards and balloons with wide eyes. ‘His SQUIP being off didn’t help, but that wouldn’t have caused him to do that. We need to visit him when we can.’

 

“ **You underestimate how troubled Rich was...** ” SQUIP trailed off. “ **He’s cleared for general visitors on Thursday so long as there are no complications, but there is a plan for the whole cast to visit him after the play on Friday.** ”

 

‘We can visit him after the play on Friday then,’ they confirmed, hesitating before going to the locker. After that hesitation, they, with SQUIP’s help, unlocked his locker and saw the box of lady’s running shoes, the same one from the mall.

 

Reaching in, they removed the box and carefully shut Rich’s locker. They opened the box and peered inside. ‘This is enough for the entire school...’

 

“ **Exactly what we need,** ” SQUIP agreed happily. “ **We only really need six for now, but keep hold of the rest for later.** ” Michael felt a little unease sweep through them again. “ **Hey, don’t worry. This is to help Jeremy, as well as his friends! With us as their SQUIP, we can assist them with the issues we’ve already been working on! We’re their friend after all, we know how to help them better than anyone else could.** ”

 

‘Yeah, of course,’ Michael reaffirmed, though was still confused as to why that unease didn’t go away as they started to walk to their locker.

 

When they got there, they couldn’t help but feel their throat tighten. Jeremy’s locker was right next to theirs. The two of them always had lockers next to each other.

 

Strangely, Michael noticed that the lock on Jeremy’s locker was set differently than it had been on Friday. Which meant he was already at school, but that Michael had missed him.

 

Which was strange because the school was very linear and their lockers were not too far from the start... They decided to ignore that fact for now.

 

“Michael! Hey, Michael!” a voice called from somewhere up the hallway. They turned to see Jenna making her way over to them.

 

Michael managed to smile at her as they quickly unlocked their locker, putting the whole box of SQUIPs in there. They kept the six in their jacket pocket though. “Hey Jenna, what’s up?” they asked as they took out a bottle of Mountain Dew from their locker before shutting it.

 

Jenna stopped just in front of them, looking worried. “I just wanted to check on you, you looked upset at the party on Saturday and I haven’t had a chance to actually contact you while I’ve been maintaining the truth of what happened with Rich.” She reached out and squeezed their shoulder lightly. “What happened with you and Jeremy? ‘Cause I saw _him_ crying just after as well...”

 

“ **I’d recommend you tell her a partial truth. We had a fight with Jeremy, and he called us a monster and said we’re not actually friends.** ”

 

It took Michael a good second to get started because Jeremy kept crying after all of that and the image of Jeremy crying made their chest ache. They took a deep breath and sniffled, and it wasn’t faked. “Jeremy... We had a fight, and he called me...” Their chest tightened up at what Jeremy called them. “He called me a monster, and he said we aren’t friends anymore...”

 

Jenna’s eyes widened. “Shit, how did it even get to that point? You two have always been inseparable!” she murmured to herself as she pulled Michael into a tight hug. They accepted it gratefully, clinging to her.

 

“ **Neither of us understand either. We’ve only been helping him.** ” Even SQUIP sounded miserable as it kind of replied to Jenna. She couldn’t hear it.

 

“I... I wish I knew Jenna, we’ve always been there for each other. I don’t know what I did wrong,” they admitted, reaching a hand up and quickly swiping away at the tears falling. “I’ve always tried to help him, ever since we were kids. We’ve always had each other’s backs...”

 

“Hey, it’s okay. It’s okay. I don’t think it was your fault. It sounds to me like Jeremy was being an ass, I’m sure things will work out soon enough. He probably just needs time to cool off before he apologizes,” Jenna soothed.

 

“I-I don’t know if he will, he was so upset and mad a-and I don’t know what to do. How do I convince him that I’m not a _monster_?” Michael almost sobbed out. This was so weird, feeling like this. They hadn’t felt like this in so long. They knew Jeremy meant a lot to them, yes, but this was wild. They weren’t supposed to let their guard down, care about themselves. They needed to focus on Jeremy... But thinking about him _hurt_. They didn’t like hurting.

 

“You’re not a monster, Michael. You’re _lovely_. Jeremy was probably just drunk and being an asshole, I’ve noticed he can be a bit cruel sometimes. It’s not your fault.” Jenna was gently stroking Michael’s back, whispering soothing words into their ear. “I can go talk to him if you like? I saw him earlier with Chrissy, but I knew you needed me more right about now.”

 

“ **She shouldn’t talk to him until she’s integrated...** ” SQUIP advised. “ **Would... would you like me to help stop the hurt? I can make it better for you if you like.** ”

 

Michael shook their head to Jenna then, thankful that she just held onto them tighter then. ‘Please. It hurts so much,’ they almost mentally begged.

 

Slowly but surely, Michael felt the pain in their chest lessen. It still hurt, but nowhere near as much. And when they opened their eyes at SQUIP’s insistence, they were met not by the usual Keanu Reeves form but one that looked perfectly _identical_ to Jeremy.

 

“ **I’m so sorry, Mikey. I understand you were just trying to help me, and that’s what you’re gonna do now, isn’t it? You’re gonna make the world better for me so we can be together always and I won’t get scared anymore,** ” JEREMY said, looking up at them with wide, honest eyes. Michael couldn’t react, their reflex suspended for a moment thankfully. The pain lessened even more. “ **You just need to get Jenna to start it all. Give her a SQUIP so we can both be in her head and make the world better for us.** ”

 

Michael felt the tightness in their throat lessen a little as they pulled back from Jenna’s hug, scrubbing at their eyes. “T-thanks Jenna... I wanted to also give you something, I think Rich wanted to give it to you but then, y’know...”

 

Jenna nodded sympathetically, though was genuinely curious as Michael reached into their jacket pocket. They had to wait a second because, for some reason, their hands were trembling.

 

Michael knew what they were supposed to say without any prompting. “I don’t know exactly what it does, but I had one a while ago and it didn’t do anything bad. Just made me a bit more confident for a while,” they explained, holding out a SQUIP. Jenna regraded it carefully.

 

“Are you sure it’s safe?” She was considering it.

 

“ **That’s good, Mikey. Now convince her to take it however you can. Then she’ll be _perfect_.**” JEREMY smiled, leaning against them and staring up at them with adoring eyes.

 

"Jenna, you're one of my friends. I wouldn't do anything or give anything to you if I didn’t think it was safe," Michael reassured her, even if they felt their chest clench. Being able to see JEREMY in their peripheral vision helped ease that tension though.

 

They were able to swallow as Jenna seemed to consider it further, picking up the large pill. "So... do I just take it?"

 

Michael shook their head, holding up his new bottle of Mountain Dew. "You take it with Mountain Dew. I don't know why..."

 

Jenna hesitated then took the bottle from Michael. In a practiced motion, she downed the massive pill in a single gulp. Michael must have looked impressed because she grinned weakly. “I have to take some large pills regularly to stay healthy.” She looked like she was about to say more when suddenly she doubled over in pain.

 

“ **We did it, Mikey. She’s ours now. She’s going to be perfect...** ” JEREMY pressed a small kiss to Michael’s jaw and looked over Jenna. JEREMY was right though, Michael could sense Jenna in a way they’d never been able to. She straightened and they suddenly understood what being a SQUIP _really_ felt like. They could ask anything of her in their quest to achieve their goal and she’d follow through; she wanted it as much as they did.

 

Something felt _off_ about this, _wrong_ , but JEREMY was reassuring them that this was fine. If JEREMY was telling them this, then it had to be fine, right? If JEREMY wanted it and it would make him happy, it was fine, yeah?

 

Jenna smiled wide at them, and Michael couldn't help but manage a smile themselves. They had ideas on what Jenna could do to help (she was always nice, kind, and caring). Before they could say anything, JEREMY held up a finger before reaching over and whispering into her ear. She nodded, looking to Michael, seemingly for approval.

 

Whatever JEREMY wanted to make him happy. They just nodded, and she smiled before hurrying off, taking out her phone and tapping away at the screen of it.

 

“ **You’re doing it, Mikey. You’re making everything better for me already, you’re such a great SQUIP. I’m so proud of you and so happy already,** ” JEREMY cooed, grabbing on to Michael’s arm happily.

 

The praise they were getting pushed away those weird feelings, and they couldn't help but smile as they made sure their locker was closed. All they wanted was for him to be happy and for everything to be better for him.

 

They were still doing that.

 

 

 

Jeremy, the real Jeremy, was around the corner with Chrissy listening in to everything that was happening. He knew Jenna had just been SQUIPed, but he couldn’t just stand around and do _nothing_. As she walked past, he reached out, stood in front of her to try to get her attention. She swerved around him without a second glance, not even looking up from her phone.

 

“That was fucking rude,” he muttered, stepping around the corner to confront Michael about this. He was already gone.

 

Christine popped around the corner too, eyes wide as she quickly scanned around. "How could he disappear that quickly? I know he's got a super computer in his brain, but oh my god... And now Jenna does too... And Michael has a whole shoebox full of them..."

 

“We need to warn everybody as soon as possible. So long as no one drinks any Mountain Dew they’ll be fine, right?” Jeremy tried, forcing his own panic down. It wasn’t working. He felt sick. This was all his fucking fault, he should have never asked for a SQUIP in the first place. Or he should have just let himself be trained like a good dog and then none of his other friends would be in danger. Jeremy leant against his locker heavily.

 

"If we just sorta try to tell people that, they're gonna question why and then this'll all get out of hand," Christine muttered out, clearly trying to think as she paced back-and-forth in front of him. She started thinking out-loud, complaining how their school only had Pepsi products in the vending machines now.

 

Her rambling stopped when both Jeremy and Christine's phones dinged.

 

Quickly taking out her phone, Christine tapped a few times before she started scrolling. Her eyes went wide as plates as she gasped. "Oh my- oh no, oh no no no, that darn- _augh_!" She was waving her arms around angrily then, probably getting out her frustration and this excess energy she suddenly had from whatever she read.

 

Jeremy reached for his phone and checked the notification. Mass string of texts from Jenna. Huh. But she was just SQUIPed, what could they be having her-

 

'O.M.G. Jeremy knew there was something up with Rich and did nothing to help him on Saturday. WTF Jeremy!'

 

'Jeremy broke Michael's heart and called him a MONSTER! He destroyed a 12 year friendship!'

 

'Instead of helping everyone, Jeremy got drunk on jungle juice and left the party with Christine after she and Jake JUST broke up!'

 

These and more, which all held some air of truth but were twisted out of context, were being sent to every student at Middleborough. Tweets were already being made, @-ing him and calling him out while also calling for sympathy for Jake, Rich, and Michael. Some were even being rude to Christine.

 

Jeremy started shaking as he slid down to the floor. He- they- it was all _true_ but it wasn’t real! He- he- he- he was going to be sick. Without warning, Jeremy dashed towards the front of the school and heaved up his breakfast into the bushes by the entrance. Then he just fell to his ass and leant against the wall a few feet away, hugging his knees and sobbing.

 

This was _all_ his fault. He needed to apologize to Michael and beg for forgiveness. Then he could make things right, couldn’t he? He could be good. He wasn’t mean or cruel or anything like that, he wasn’t! He was just so fucking scared and confused and he didn’t know what to do. He’d even take the shocks and everything again, he’d be good! He just couldn’t deal with this all, not without Michael.

 

At first, he flinched when a hand touched his shoulder. He only looked up after hearing Christine calling softly to him. Looking up, he saw her there, rubbing his back once he recognized her. "Hey, I know things aren't alright right now, but we can't just stop. This is the SQUIP trying to turn people against you, to get what it wants, by twisting the truth to make you seem like the bad guy. We _both_ know these things aren't true, not in the way it had Jenna say it. You're not gonna let it win, right? Not going to let it keep Michael hostage, yeah? You're not alone either, you got me! I know I'm not Michael, but-"

 

Jeremy launched himself at her, wrapping her into a hug. He needed the contact. He needed Michael, but Christine was proving to be a close second. She hugged back, rubbing his back gently and shushing him.

 

“M’so sorry, Chrissy. He’s hurting you too now. S’all my fault, m’sorry,” he whimpered. “Was better off before all this happened. Or should have just stayed with him, ‘cause now they’re making _you_ out to be bad too.”

 

He felt Christine's fingers running through his hair after a minute, as he was whimpering and crying. "Jeremy, just try to calm down, alright? I need you to calm down with me," she told him, and he quickly nodded and followed along with her breathing.

 

After doing this for a minute or two, she held him closer. "You were so brave in not staying with the SQUIP. It ingrained so much into you, used Michael to normalize it for you. I don't care if it's coming for me too. I'll fight it back with you! It won't stand a chance!" Her fierce and playful tone shifted back down to the soft, reassuring one she originally held. "I'll, uh... sub in as Player Three, and since you're next in line, I'm gonna need you to help me, yeah?"

 

Jeremy slowly nodded. He’d like that. Christine was such a good and brave person and she wanted to help him. She wanted to _help_ Michael. Jeremy was the only person bedsides Rich who knew what it was like having a SQUIP, he knew the rules of the game. If there was any hope of keeping Christine herself and not getting her SQUIPed, it was Jeremy. He could focus on that. He could do it for her, for Michael. But not for himself, he wasn’t _programmed_ to. Jeremy’s harsh breathing evened out a little more and he stopped shaking.

 

Christine continued to soothe him then, her back towards the school and it seemed as if she was shielding him from everyone else right now. "That's it, just keep mimicking my breathing," she coached before giving him a big smile. "Are you feeling any better? Oh, and here-" She gave him a paper towel, probably one she quickly got from the bathroom inside.

 

Jeremy gratefully accepted it with a small, weak smile of his own. After pulling back a little, he dried his eyes and cheeks, then he blew his nose (gross, but necessary). Then he pulled out his water from his bag and rinsed out his mouth, spitting it down the drain next to him.

 

“Thanks, Chrissy. I... I think I can manage for now... I just... I might need you to keep me grounded and make sure I don’t go running back to him.” His voice was croaky but gentle.

 

She just nodded as she kept rubbing his back. "Of course. I'll send texts whenever I can during class! Try to not sit near him either, no matter how much you wanna. If there's anything else I can do, let me know- _OH_! I'll send you videos and pictures of Snowball! That'll help too, right?"

 

Jeremy nodded. “Yeah, that’ll help. And...” There was one other thing that would help loads. “I’ll see you at lunch, yeah? I need to grab something from home, so I’ll probably miss first period. It’s… probably better I’m not around at first when everyone gets the news anyways.” Jeremy stood and picked up his bag. He offered Christine another shaky smile.

 

Christine smiled and nodded, getting up and slinging her own bag over her shoulder. She gave him a warm smile then before quickly hugging him. "Safe travels, Jeremy! I'll see you at lunch!"

 

Jeremy hugged her back. “You stay safe too, Chrissy. See you at lunch, and remember: don’t drink any Mountain Dew.” He waved as they split ways.

 

Jeremy started home, walking slowly as he contemplated his life. He wasn’t sure how he’d let things go bad, but he knew he could fix things. He had to. For Chrissy. For Michael. For all his friends.

 

 

 

Jeremy wasn’t surprised to hear the tv going in the living room. He was surprised to find that his dad popped his head out as soon as Jeremy closed the door, relief washing over his features.

 

"I've been texting you, I was worried when you didn't come home last night." Oh, right, he forgot to text about that. That must've been what his other messages were... "I heard on the news about the fire that happened at the party you were at. You could have gotten seriously hurt! And you've never been here lately, always at Michael's, and his moms are telling me how he's been acting different? What's going on with you, sport? I'm worried." He was still in his bathrobe as he said all this, popping out and standing with him in the front entranceway."I know I haven't been the most present or even a decent father lately, but-"

 

Jeremy grabbed him in a hug. His dad was there and _caring_. He was _worried_ and being a dad for once. And this was _just_ what Jeremy needed.

 

Even if he was surprised at first, his dad returned the hug and held onto Jeremy. "I... will you give me a chance, son? I want to help. I'm sorry seeing that news report and getting questions from Michael's moms only got me now to realize that I need to not just be... waiting."

 

Jeremy nodded. “I- I need all the help I can get.” Jeremy sniffled. “So much has happened and it’s just too much. And Michael has changed so fucking much and I feel so alone. And yeah, Chrissy is _great_ but I just- I just-“ He was holding back his sobs but he was clinging to his dad. This was the first time his dad had shown any sort of parental care and it was just a bit much right that second but exactly what he needed.

 

His dad was hesitant and nervous as he rubbed Jeremy's back, but he was still trying and putting care into his actions. "Just let it out, let it out. It's OK."

 

For a moment more, they stood in the entryway just holding one another. Then his dad took his hand and guided him somewhere else. Jeremy followed.

 

They moved to the living room and his dad turned off the tv and settled them both on the couch. Jeremy looked up at his dad and it all came tumbling out... mostly.

 

“Michael was... helping me. Get popular to help me impress a girl and helping me with my anxiety and depression. But it... it changed him. To a level he didn’t realize and I don’t even recognize him anymore. We had a fight about it, and people found out about it and took his side. And now someone is spreading rumors about me at school to get back at me.” Jeremy was picking at the sleeves of his hoodie again, shifting uncomfortably. “I just... I don’t know what to do.”

 

As he listened to all of this, Jeremy saw his dad thinking it over. When Jeremy finished, he rested a hand on his shoulder in what Jeremy assumed was a very dad way. "Well, private, I can tell you this: Michael's moms have been trying to get to him because they know something's been wrong too. They can tell, but he acts like he's fine around them. Yesterday, though, his moms heard him crying, crying about you and missing you, but when he came up, he acted like everything was fine. I don't think _he_ knows what to do either, but he misses you. _You_ , even if it hurts, need to reach out to him. None of us can reach him like you can, son, and I'm sorry it has to be like this, but you're the only one who can help him. He did this for you, right?" Jeremy nodded. "You need to do this for him."

 

“I don’t know _how_ to help him. I tried telling him that something was wrong, that I wasn’t happy with how things were and that we needed to change, but he kept deflecting and denying anything was wrong.”

 

" _How_ were you going about it though?" his dad asked him, the most serious Jeremy had seen him since his mom left.

 

“I-“ Jeremy thought. He handled it really badly, hadn’t he? He had just gotten upset. “I need to talk to him properly. I got upset because he wasn’t listening to what I had to say, and that’s how we started fighting.” Jeremy hung his head, shame rolling through him. “I just want him to be back to how he was. I want him to be Michael again and not... this person I don’t even know.”

 

He felt his dad's arm wrap around his shoulder then, squeezing gently. "Things take time. You'll have to recover from this, and your relationship might be shaky for a little bit, but you two have been through bad times before. Don't you remember that one time you were a little shit and stole Michael's Sandyshrewd plush and insisted it was yours because it was _your_ favorite Pocket Man and not his?"

 

Jeremy chuckled wetly. “It’s Sandshrew, dad. And Pokémon. But yeah, I remember. We didn’t talk for a whole week and I got so upset that I ran over to his place to apologize and give it back.” They had been about eight when that had happened, so it was a very big gesture to go all that way himself. He and Michael had promised to always be friends after that, and that they would always fix things if one of them did something wrong.

 

“I just... I don’t know if it’s that easy this time. He thinks he’s doing the right thing. And he thinks he’s doing it for _me_ , but he’s not. I don’t even know who he’s doing it for anymore.”

 

"Things are never as easy as they were when you were kids. Things always get harder, especially the older you get. I... I've learned that, and you helped me," his dad admitted as he let out a heavy sigh. "Thinking you're doing it for the right reasons blinds you. You need to show him, talk to him the right way. Listen to what he has to say, even if he's not all in the right, and then you talk." Jeremy felt his dad gently squeeze his shoulder. "If Michael knows and understands, which he will, he'll listen to you. He would never do anything intentionally to make you upset, whether he's his old self or new self. You know that, right?"

 

"It... it's hard to know that."

 

"Well, something you don't know about... When Michael was ten, he went out of his way to try to make you a party for your birthday. He thought you'd like _everything_ he wanted to do for it, even though you guys didn't and still don't like all of the same things. When his moms were trying to get him to stop, he got more upset and tried to insist that you'd like it. It took a lot of time, explaining, and a visit from me while I was planning your _actual_ party to convince him otherwise. Eventually, he just came and helped me with your party stuff, which is why the birthday cake was a bit messy that year."

 

Jeremy giggled and scrubbed at his eyes. “That was an awesome cake. It was X-men and the colors were right and everything.” He really loved that cake. That also explained why Michael looked so proud in the photo of the two of them that day. “I think I get it. I’ll do my best to help him understand. And I’m not totally alone either. Chrissy said she’d help me. She’s the person who I stayed around with the past two nights... Sorry for not calling or anything, I was just... I didn’t want to risk talking to Michael so my phone was off.”

 

"Next time, you need to text me what's going on so I know. I'm not... a mind reader like Dr. Xavier? I'm glad you have someone else to help you though." His dad's face shifted for a second. "Wait, isn't that the girl you used to like?"

 

Jeremy’s face lit up in a bright blush. “Used to being the main phrase there. We’re better off friends, and I like... well, _liked_ someone else anyways.” He knew his dad wasn’t homophobic. He accepted Michael straight away and even helped make Michael a rainbow cake for his birthday that year.

 

"You don't have to tell me who, son, if you're not ready. Just know that I'm always going to love and care for you, even if you kill a man. I don't know if I'll be able to help get rid of the body, but-"

 

" _Dad_!"

 

His dad just laughed then before getting up. "I'm... I'm going to go see if I have any pants that fit left, and when I get back down here, I'm going to lecture you for not being at school right now. Then I'm going to let you stay home for the day because you probably need it and start looking for some stuff for a therapist that our health insurance covers after doing some work."

 

Jeremy stood and grabbed his dad in a much more enthusiastic hug. “Thanks dad. And... I’m sorry. For being so harsh and rude and angry with you. I wanna do better with us too.” He really did. If his dad was willing to try, was willing to put _pants_ on, then Jeremy would try too.

 

"I think we both need to work on ourselves a bit once you and Michael settle this all out," his dad said as he returned the hug. "I also need to clean this house up a bit more. After lecturing you, do you think you could help me clean a little?"

 

“Yeah, I will. I just need to grab something from my room and text Chrissy so she knows why I won’t be at lunch.” Jeremy nodded, looking up and giving his dad a weak, shaky smile. Then he let go and his dad left the room, but not before ruffling Jeremy’s hair affectionately. The act almost made Jeremy cry again, his dad hadn’t done that since before he and mom had started fighting.

 

Once he heard his dad close his bedroom door, he sent the text to Christine (‘ _Dad is wearing pants and is letting me stay home. I told him everything except about the SQUIPs and he’s gonna help as much as he can!_ ’). Then he bolted up to his room and started digging in his private drawer under his bed.

 

It was the one drawer he had that Michael hadn’t cleaned out, saying that Jeremy was allowed privacy too just so long as he was safe. Jeremy used to keep the hoodie in there, as well as Michael’s old glasses and the bottle of Mountain Dew Red. That spiked a memory for him, but he couldn’t quite recall why. He’d figure it out later.

 

From inside the drawer, he pulled out the spare headphones he would always carry around for Michael. They were light blue instead of white, but they were chunky and comfy and had amazing audio quality. Whenever Michael needed to block out the world, he’d put on his headphones. Jeremy would be needing that a _lot_ over these next few days, so he slipped them around his neck and tucked the wire into his pocket.

 

As he went past his mirror to get back downstairs, he resisted the urge to do those mantras. Instead, he looked himself over, unable to keep himself from laughing at himself. Even if Michael wasn’t truly here, he was in spirit and in how Jeremy dressed. With the messy hair, the headphones, the hoodie, and the glasses. Soon, though, he would actually be there with him, the real Michael.

 

“Son! I need to scold and lecture you! Come down... Also, I don’t think I could clean all this by myself, holy shit.”

 

Again, Jeremy laughed. “Coming!” With that, he hurried downstairs, feeling happier than he had in so long.


	9. Jeremy Didn't Start the Fire, but He Sure Did Start the Apocalypse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, Ari here! So... this chapter is the rest of the build-up we need before The Play... Dun-nun-nuuuuun. (Personally, this is where 'The Pitiful Children' ends, but at the very end of the chapter.) (Also, early upload because Ari has a 7 AM flight tomorrow back up North to dogsit for the next month and is finishing packing today while in pain so woooo....)
> 
> Your insane support and comments about your descent into a panicking madness is how we all felt writing this. Trust me, there are a lot of painful moments that needed to happen then, as well as, I personally feel, a 'The Pants Song Reprise' in this (or maybe the /true/ Pants Song is this one... who knows... up to interpretation, honestly). Jeremy and Christine wrap up the last of the loose ends on their end, but Michael and the SQUIP do as well on their own... 
> 
> Who will win? Who will lose? Who prepared the best?...
> 
> You'll find that out next chapter. ;3c For now, see how everyone prepares and start taking your bets!
> 
>  
> 
> But now, a few words from my favowite pewson, Mara:
> 
> 'Hey lovelies! I can’t believe we’re almost at 500 hits. You guys boggle my mind, honestly. I’m so proud and happy that you like our work so much! <333
> 
> So, sort of a recap: Jeremy has becomes more of a loser than ever, Christine is a literal angel, Rich could really use a hug or some Mountain Dew Red and Michael is forming a hive mind. Yeah, high school sucks. Also Mr Heere really deserves more love, he’s so sweet and understanding and all his efforts really should put him in the running for father of the year after this is all done, tbh
> 
> Warnings this chapter for mentions of physical bullying, verbal bullying and cyber bullying. Jeremy’s not in a good way folks.'

Despite the now repairing relationship with his dad, Jeremy’s week had been miserable. Tuesday had seen a long, boring assembly for fire and party safety, and about twelve different people had been throwing things at him and hissing insults and threats to him and Christine. Then during the rest of the day, the jabs had followed him around as well as the physical shoves and attacks. He kept his headphones on most of the day.

 

Michael also totally ignored him. Now Jeremy recognized that he had made a mistake, he would freely admit that, but this was ridiculous. Michael’s eyes just didn’t focus on him, even when he was right in front of him. And he didn’t even react when Jeremy spoke. He saw _Chrissy_ fine but he missed Jeremy entirely. And the whole week, he had that fucking creepy, _empty_ smile. Jeremy felt sick just looking at him.

 

Slowly but surely, Jeremy found that every single one of his friends also started to do the same. Their eyes would go over him, they stopped reacting to his voice, and they totally ignored him unless it was to tell him how terrible of a person he was. By Thursday, everyone except Brooke (and Chrissy of course) had totally turned on him, and so had the rest of the school. As it happened, having the most popular students hate you, as well as the biggest gossip, was a good way to commit social suicide. Jeremy was worse off than he had ever been. Christine was a blessing, as she took the dive with him.

 

Christine sat with him at lunch, outside where fewer people sat due to the snow coming next week and the colder temperatures that came with it. Jeremy was lucky that Michael’s hoodie helped to keep him so warm.

 

“Hey, at least we have each other,” Christine mused out as she crunched on her baby carrot. “And it’s not Iike we’re going anywhere.” She reached over and gently hit his arm before finishing off her carrot and moving onto the next.

 

“Yeah, you’re a literal angel, Chrissy.” Jeremy grinned before taking a bite of his tuna salad sandwich which his dad had made for him that morning. “I wouldn’t be able to do this without you. You’ve confirmed your Player Three status for sure.”

 

Despite having only one friend again and having the whole school, as well as his best friend, turned against him, Jeremy was surprisingly happy. Chrissy was a blessing, and Jeremy found himself understanding better why Michael was so happy before. When you only thought of what you had, and appreciated it for what it was, it was so much _easier_ to be content. Jeremy missed Michael like a missing limb, but he was learning to function alone while he and Chrissy tried to plan a rescue mission.

 

She pumped her arms into the air then, cheering as baby carrots flew. “Oh no, my children! I’m so sorry!” Some stray glances were thrown her way, but she ignored them all before flopping against Jeremy. “My excitement has been temporarily dulled by my loss.” That was a lie, he could practically feel her vibrating.

 

“I’m glad I’m helping you though. I know I’ll never be able to replace him. After all of this, I can’t wait to meet the real Michael Oliver Mell... Oh my god, his initials are MOM!”

 

“Oh my god, it took us so long to realize that!” Jeremy cackled, pulling out his phone. He hesitated, his heart thrashing painfully before he pulled up _the_ video. The one that woke him up. After plugging in his headphones, he offered both the phone and the headphones to Christine. “You already knew we were stoners, right?” He smirked.

 

She raised a brow and nodded to that before taking his phone. “Jeremiah Heere, are you about to show me forbidden footage of when you were... _stoned_?” Christine asked, stage whispering and being over dramatic as she held the phone close, quickly putting on Jeremy’s headphones.

 

“Precisely, my dear, innocent friend.” He giggled, watching the video without any sound. Seeing Michael being so happy and loud and himself made his cheeks warm in a blush but his heart hurt. No- stay positive. They would get him back. There would be more moments like that. He barely even noticed that the video had ended a few minutes later, too caught in his own head and Michael’s laughter.

 

He only noticed when his phone was waved in front of his face. “Hellooo, earth to Jeremy,” Christine sung out while making lots of ‘spooky’ noises. “Please come back to us, we miss you and your nerdy and snarky commentary!”

 

“Nooo! I’m lost in space! I can only be rescued by a sacrifice!” Jeremy called out in an equally ‘spooky’ tone, grabbing Christine and pulling her close, tickling her sides while she thrashed and giggled.

 

“Nooo, I have so much to live for!” Christine squealed out as she squirmed, laughing when she wasn’t ‘begging for mercy.’

 

Eventually, Jeremy let her go and Christine flopped across his lap, catching her breath. “Thank you... Oh my god... I forgot... how ticklish I am... You jerk!...”

 

“And now _I_ have a weakness to use against our brave heroine!” He put on a villain voice, laughing evilly and rubbing his hands together. Then he burst out laughing at the way she scrunched up her nose. “In other news, dad has asked if you want to stay around for dinner tonight after going to the hospital. He said he’d drive you home afterwards if you’re cool with it.”

 

Her eyes lit up then before she shot to sit up like a rocket. “Would I?!”

 

“Uh, yeah... That’s sorta what I’m asking-“

 

“Jeremy, _please_ , that was me saying yes.”

 

“Oh!... I _totally_ knew that.” He made sure to pointedly ‘glare’ at Christine as she snickered at him.

 

Jeremy cleared his throat awkwardly and poked her belly, earning another giggle from her. “Anyways, yeah. He’s making lasagna and let me tell you, it’s the best damned lasagna I’ve ever tasted. Even my _mom_ liked it, and she didn’t like _anything_.“ He was finally coming to terms that his mom had left and moved on. They both were, and his dad was making an effort to be a dad again. Jeremy was so happy and so proud and the lasagna was just another piece of proof that they were slowly healing. He was glad to be sharing it with Christine (he would have liked to share it with Michael also, but he’d take what he could for now).

 

“Ooo, I have a very refined taste and palate when it comes to that, so I hope your dad does not disappoint,” she hummed out before reaching up and poking Jeremy’s cheek. Christine stuck her tongue out as she did it before reaching over blindly with her free hand, grabbing her Cosmic Brownie pack and bringing it over. “Want some, by the way?”

 

Christine was terrible, fueling his sweet tooth like this. It had taken him so long to repress it and- no wait, he was _allowed_ sugar and sweets if he wanted to. “Oh, yes please! And...” Big step to be taken here, but Christine had earned it. “After school, you wanna go get slushies on the way to the hospital?” His voice was shy, and he hoped she understood how big of a thing this was to him. He only got slushies with Michael. It was the ultimate sign of friendship with them, you don’t get slushies with just _anyone_.

 

Her eyes lit up in such an adorable way as she quickly nodded, giving him the bigger chunk she broke off. “Oh. My. God. Yes! I won’t take red or blue, I saw you guys always having that. Seven-Eleven has more than just two slushie flavors, right?” Jeremy nodded. “I’ll find my own flavor then and claim it as my own! Woohoo, this is going to be _great_!”

 

Jeremy couldn’t help but grin as he took a bite of the brownie. Christine really was awesome. It was easy to see why he thought he loved her, because he did, just in a different way. He loved her like a sister, a best friend. She was bright and happy and strong, like a star out in the middle of space: a light in the dark. He never thought he’d ever feel this close to _anyone_ besides Michael (especially so quickly!), but Christine fit the bill perfectly.

 

As he ate, he saw Brooke pass by them. She glanced over, looked him up and down, and scoffed before walking inside. Christine saw it too, frowning as she held up four fingers before lowering one down. “It’s just us and Jake left, and that’s only ‘cause he’s still in the ICU...”

 

Jeremy shook his head. “She’s still herself, she’s just convinced I’m an ass. Her movements are too normal for her to be infected and besides, she could actually see me enough to judge me. But she’s gone by tomorrow.” He had perfected the art of identifying if someone had a SQUIP now. Their movements would be too fluid, just this side of unsettling. Michael could do many things, but adding people into a hive-mind totally undetected was not one of them.

 

“That’s honestly terrifying to think about,” Christine muttered out before chewing on some of her brownie, staring up at the sky in thought.

 

“Never thought I’d be living though the apocalypse,” Jeremy agreed. Then he paused and shook his head, snorting out a small laugh. “I started the apocalypse for you, Chrissy. Do you love me now?”

 

“Romantically? No. Platonicly? Yes, but not because of starting the apocalypse for me,” she told him before poking his cheek. “Also, don’t forget to eat your brownie! I didn’t sacrifice the bigger half so it could go to waste!”

 

“I say it again, you’re an angel.” Jeremy grinned, taking another bite of the brownie. He munched on it contemplatively.

 

“Do you think they’re gonna try to get us next?” he asked after a minute, finishing off the chocolate treat. “‘Cause you’re the reason I haven’t gone crying back to Michael, so you’re in the way. But I’m the reason he’s doing all this in the first place, he wants to be my SQUIP again.”

 

“I think... Michael, deep down there, wouldn’t want to do it to you. Only if he ‘had to’ maybe. Me? I don’t know, but I think I’ve just been socially outcasted too so the SQUIP doesn’t seem to think I’m a threat for now.” She reached for her big, colorful water bottle, opening it and drinking some. “The SQUIP is waiting for something, a big event...”

 

“The only big event coming up is...” He gasped. “The play!” Jeremy reached into his pocket and put his hand on his phone, holding onto it just in case he needed some music to calm down with. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks; Michael was going to make his next big move at the play tomorrow. Possibly, no, _probably_ , Michael would try to get Jeremy back to where he was before, an obedient pet: happy but empty.

 

Christine was in the middle of sipping some more water, so she coughed on it for a second, pounding on her chest. “The SQUIP is going to defile the sanctity of live theater?! Oh _heck_ no. That is _not_ happening!”

 

Jeremy thumped her on the back until she stopped coughing before he curled up a little, feeling the panic threatening to bubble to the surface. “We need to talk to Rich as soon as possible. He might be able to help us if his SQUIP is still offline.”

 

After he helped her, Christine nodded before wrapping an arm around him. “Don’t worry, Jeremy, we’re not gonna let it win. We promised we’d win and get Michael back, remember?”

 

Jeremy leant into her touch, resting his head on her shoulder. “I know I just- it was scary, Chrissy. He did so much shit to me thanks to that overpriced floppy disk and I’m just freaked out that there’s even a chance that he _wants_ me to be that again.” Jeremy sighed. “If... if he does end up getting me, forget about me, yeah? Get _him_ out. He’d be better off against them since he knows how they work. He’d be able to get us all out.”

 

“Jeremy, I can’t just let you go like that,” she muttered out as she looked down at him. “Also, from what you’ve shown and told me, he never would want you to be like that. We’re _all_ going to make it through this Jeremy.”

 

“If he does, though, if there’s not enough of him present, you gotta do that for me,” Jeremy mumbled, closing his eyes. He wasn’t sure how clear he was being with his words, but it didn’t matter that much. They just needed to be said. “I just want him safe. I want them _all_ safe, but especially him.”

 

“I... I’ll try,” she muttered out then, somewhat tense underneath where he was leaning and lying against. “But I want you safe too. I know we’re saving Michael, but...”

 

“S’like you said, he doesn’t wanna hurt me. But SQUIP probably doesn’t care about Michael like that. Plus, he’s like a hundred times smarter than I am, he’d be way more help than I could be.” Jeremy wrapped his arms around her and squeezed slightly. “I promise I’ll do my best to not get SQUIPed though. Don’t want you to have to deal with that.”

 

“I don’t want _you_ to deal with that Jeremy, oh my god.” Christine wrapped her arms around him too. “I... like I said, I’ll try...”

 

“And so will I,” Jeremy agreed. This wasn’t about him. Focusing on himself is what got them all into this situation in the first place, Jeremy wasn’t allowed to focus on himself or else he’d make more of a mess. He didn’t deserve the attention anyways, not even from himself. Not yet. Not until Michael was back and safe. The bell ringing snapped Jeremy out of his thoughts.

 

Christine stood up then, stretching her arms above her head before picking and making sure her leggings weren't bunched up. "Well, we gotta go back to the grind. You ready?" she asked, reaching down with a warm smile.

 

“As ready as I can be.” Jeremy smiled softly as she helped him to his feet. Jeremy scooped up his bag and threw it over his shoulder. “See you after class, Chrissy.” He sighed heavily, slipping on his headphones and putting on a Queen album. Time to see how much punishment he could take.

 

 

 

Having to deal with Michael being so off, so not him, and not even acknowledging him, was hard. He got a few more nasty looks, some shoving, but nothing compared to that empty smile. It broke his heart every time he saw it.

 

Somehow, he made is through the day. Chrissy was there, waiting for him by the student parking lot. She held out her hand, and he couldn't help but give a weak smile as he took it, leading her down to the Seven-Eleven on the way to the hospital.

 

When she entered, Christine seemed to look around with a huge grin before rushing with him to the back, where the slushie machines were. "Show me how to do a proper pour, oh wise master."

 

Jeremy grinned, taking a cup and tossing it into the air. It did a flip before he caught it easily. “The trick is, young Padawan, to put your whole body into it. Style is everything so you need to discover your own technique. For example-” Jeremy demonstrated, carefully pouring out some blue slushie, but making it _look_ like he was using his full body, leaning back a bit and everything. Christine giggled and clapped adorably.

 

She seemed to think for a moment, picking up her own cup, and quickly putting on the lid. Christine looked over the flavors before grinning, getting the lemonade one ready, and pouring it out carefully. She leaned back, dipping herself back before suddenly jerking herself forward, right when she stopped, pulling it back and filling it up perfectly with a grin. "Aha!"

 

Jeremy put down his cup to clap for her. “Bravo! Beautiful! Magnificent!” he cheered, and some of the other patrons looked over with some annoyance but Jeremy couldn’t find it in himself to care. “You’re a natural!”

 

"Why thank you, I learned from the best," she said before bowing a few times, giggling all the while. "This better be as good as you make them out to be."

 

“They’re the lifeblood of myself and one Michael Mell. You’ll need to find the flavor that suits you, but yes. They _are_ that good.” Jeremy chuckled, heading over to the counter and paying. Once Christine paid for her own slushie, they headed outside and Jeremy took a long, deep slurp. The brain freeze he got was positively _glorious_. He clutched his head, giggling and reveling in the familiar pain and sensations.

 

Christine glanced over at him then with a raised brow. "Are you laughing over getting a brain freeze?" she asked before taking a seemingly ungodly long slurp without having any repercussions.

 

He watched her with wide, awe filled eyes. “You’re superhuman, Chrissy,” he gushed, giggling as he took another slurp, getting another brain freeze. “Ah-! And- yes, I am laughing about getting brain freeze. It’s been so _long_ since I’ve had a slushie! And since I’ve had brain freeze. I missed everything about slushies and I didn’t even realize it.” They started walking as Jeremy rambled, Christine looking a little concerned.

 

"I mean, I think I'd miss everything _but_ the brain freezes, though I've never had one," Christine muttered up as she took another unholy sip without any apparent problems.

 

Jeremy was transfixed for a second before he elaborated. “Michael and I used to see who could take the longest drink before the brain freeze kicked in. He almost always won.” Jeremy’s tone was fond but sad. The usual mix of feelings that came when thinking of Michael these days. He cleared his throat awkwardly and looked away from Christine’s sympathetic look. “‘Course, if you don’t get brain freezes, you’re banned from that contest.”

 

"Aww, not fair," Christine grumbled out before taking a smaller sip. "Just because evolution favored me doesn't mean I should get banned!"

 

“You’re practically built for it! We are merely mortals who have no chance against such a queen, nay, goddess of the slush!” Jeremy cried dramatically. He took another slurp, this one a lot smaller. Then he grinned down at her. “You have a natural affinity for the frozen, delectable goodness, Chrissy. We wouldn’t stand a chance at all.”

 

"Still doesn't mean that I cannot assert dominance over you petty mortals," Christine said around a faux villain laugh, which reminded him a lot of a nineties anime villain. "Let me do at least that, Jeremy!"

 

“I suppose you’re right. A ruler must display their right to rule after all...” He pretended to think it over, before giggling. Chrissy was awesome. “So anyways, how’s the flavor? Doing it for you or do we need to try a different one next time?”

 

"It's really good, but I want to try a different one next time. I cannot make a choice until I've tasted every flavor option available for me," she told him before taking another sip from her cup. "Thank you for taking me there though, I know that means a lot to you."

 

Jeremy looked away again, a small blush on his cheeks. “Yeah, well. You mean a lot to me, so it makes sense.” He still wasn’t good at feelings and shit, but he was trying. Christine had quickly become his favorite person, second only to the old Michael. He wanted to share the special things with her because she deserved it.

 

She was currently his best friend, and he actually loved that fact. They just clicked. And he knew she’d click with Michael too. They’d hang out, Jeremy and Michael playing AotD and Christine coming up with a narrative for each of the characters, making them laugh at crucial points which would make them lose, or cheering them on when they needed the assistance. And they’d all go get slushies afterwards. It was thoughts like that which kept him fighting against his programming to go back to Michael.

 

"Well I'm glad." She reached over, taking his hand and squeezing it before just holding on for the rest of the way to the hospital. As they went, she talked about random things with her, ranging from Barbra Streisand to how Christine was curious about Dungeons and Dragons.

 

"Do you think some of our friends would wanna do that sometime?" she asked, letting go of Jeremy's hand as they were now outside the hospital to open the door.

 

“Michael and I would of sure, and I’d say Jenna would be up for it too, she’d make a terrific DM. And maybe Rich when he’s better, he’s got a nerdy streak wide enough to contain D&D,” Jeremy mused, following her inside and throwing out his now empty cup in the trash can by the door. Chrissy did the same.

 

Christine then went over to the reception desk, smiling wide at the worker. "Hi! My friend and I are here to see Rich Goranski, is he available to be seen?"

 

The worker behind the desk quickly checked something before sliding over something. "Print and sign your name here with your check-in time and today's date. He is in room two-fifteen, down the hall to the left, you take a right at the nurse station, and he's in the third door to the left."

 

They quickly filled out the forms and started off, following the receptionist’s directions. A thought suddenly occurred to Jeremy. “Chrissy, what if he’s like the others? He already has a SQUIP and I know Michael’s been connected to it before. What if he can’t see me or he hates me or-“

 

She put her hands on his shoulders then, stopping them in the side of the hall. "Jeremy, listen to me. We will figure everything out as things happen, and everything will end up fine and dandy. You don't worry your sweet snarky head about any of this, OK?"

 

Jeremy took a deep breath and nodded. She was right, as usual. No point in getting worked up about that until it happened, at which point they could deal with it. With a bright smile, Chrissy took his hand again and started leading him along. Jeremy followed.

 

Finally, they made it to the room. Jeremy knocked and they got a small noise that sounded like an invitation. Poking his head in first, Jeremy shot Rich a weak grin. “Hey, Richie. Glad to see you’re still with us,” Jeremy started into the room, followed quickly by Christine, who closed the door.

 

Rich's eyes widened as he looked over at the two of them. "You're OK, good. I've been worried about you." Then he seemed to get a bit more panicked, eyes locking onto the door. "Uh, w-where is he? Is he coming in too?"

 

Rich seemed to be himself, which was good. “I don’t think he’s coming until the cast comes tomorrow, after the play, but I don’t know for sure...” Jeremy admitted, stepping closer. “We... we’re not exactly talking at the moment. He can’t see me thanks to his-“ Jeremy pointed to his temple and whistled a little. “Also, Chrissy already knows, so you don’t have to censor yourself.”

 

"Oh thank god, OK," Rich said, the tension draining out of him. "It's really good to see you though. Sorry I'm not at my full capacity. Also, how's the stuff they've been saying about me at school? Is it bad?"

 

Christine shook her head, which seemed to surprise him, before she sat down in one of the chairs by his bed. "Jenna and the others have been policing to make sure no rumors or bad stuff is said about you."

 

“Besides, they’ve been kinda more focused on _me_ to really talk about you these days.” Jeremy snorted, taking the other seat. “But yeah, they’ve been keeping the story as clean as they can with what they know... We’re all just glad you made it out of that.” Jeremy picked at his sleeve and shot Rich a small smile. He thought he knew why Rich did it, but he was still very glad Rich was okay. He liked Rich.

 

At that, Rich frowned. It looked weird with a good portion of his face wrapped up, probably from the skin grafts he had to have done. "Why are they more focused on you for gossip? What happened while I was gone and stuck in here, enjoying life in the ICU?"

 

“It’s... complicated.” Jeremy sighed, his head flopping down while he tried to get his thoughts in order. “I figured out everything the SQUIP was having Michael do to me. Accidentally got drunk at the party and tried to talk to him about it, then I yelled. Come Monday, he can’t even see me anymore and he’s started SQUIPing the whole squad. They can’t see me either and they seem determined to turn others against me. The whole damned school to be precise, save Chrissy here.” He chuckled weakly. “So yeah, my SQUIP’s gone rogue and I’ve lost my best friend because of it. Fun times.”

 

Rich's face darkened a bit at that before he looked down at his lap. He seemed troubled, and Christine scooted a little closer and shot him a soft smile. "Whatever's bugging you... Just say it. This is a safe place to talk, especially since your SQUIP's off."

 

"I..." He let out a heavy sigh. "At the party, I got high. My SQUIP tried to stop me, but was too slow. I got high and I was finally free, and I was able to think. It glitched out a bit since it's so old and buggy, and I saw some pieces of information from it." Rich seemed to be struggling then, hissing a little as he thought it over. "I saw stuff about Michael, the SQUIP's plan... My SQUIP didn't view Michael as a SQUIPed person, but as a SQUIP. Something happened, during his upgrade, I think... I don't know what exactly happened, but I... I feel like I basically killed him by listening to my SQUIP. I didn't want anyone else to get hurt or basically die like Michael did, so I took a jack-o-lantern, and- and- and..." Tears were running down his face as he let out a bitter laugh. "And you guys know what happened next."

 

Jeremy grabbed a tissue from the box on Rich’s bedside and carefully dried Rich’s eyes, his own chest tight. “I get it, don’t worry. SQUIPs mess you up big time, you don’t have a choice but to listen to them. It’s not your fault, dude. I don’t blame you in the slightest.”

 

"But it's not OK and you know it. Michael's basically melded in some weird fusion way, he thinks he's a SQUIP, he's been manipulated to hell, and that's not even covering the damage done to you!" Rich glanced away then, sniffling quite a bit. "I'm so sorry, nothing I do'll be able to make up for it."

 

Jeremy kept dabbing with the tissue, keeping his touch gentle. “It’s no more your fault than it is mine, Rich. I’m the one who wanted it. He took it for _me_. He agreed to become my SQUIP before he even took the damned pill. And I then left him and it’s made things impossibly worse and I _still_ want to go back to him. SQUIPs mess with your mind. No one else gets that better than I do, and mine wasn’t even in my head.”

 

"That's 'cause you two're so close," Rich said around a soft hiccup before glancing back at him, hesitant. "I... It's hard to even imagine what it's like for your SQUIP to be present in the real world and not in your head... What happened?"

 

Jeremy had been expecting that, so he was ready to answer, even if it hurt. Chrissy deserved to know too by this point. Jeremy sat back down in the chair heavily. “It started small. He got me doing positive re-affirmation mantras every morning and evening and got me doing exercise. Then he did _more_. He did this weird thing that meant my back basically became a keyboard and he could play me however he wanted. Tears, releasing pheromones, feeling good, you name it, I’ve got a point on me that will do that with a little pressure. He started... training me after the upgrade. Making me feel good from his praise, making me not question his methods. I couldn’t lie to him, even if I wanted to, and he manipulated my feelings to the point that I don’t know what’s real or not when it comes to him. Then of course he was also shocking me when I did something wrong.” Rich flinched at that, either from sympathy or knowing the feeling himself. “And he changed my mantras without me noticing. The evening ones we’d do together and I’d zone out so I didn’t realize.”

 

“What did he change them to?” Christine asked softly.

 

“Well, it went from ‘everything about me is just wonderful’ to ‘everything about _us_ is just wonderful.’ And ‘I am happy and successful in everything that I do’ became ‘we are happy and successful in everything we do.’”

 

Jeremy started to feel the familiar fog descend over his head a little, and a rush of good feelings hit him like a train. He had forgotten why he did these. They helped him. They made him feel good. He needed to go see Michael, but he needed to be good and finish his mantras first. “Everything about us makes me so alive. I need them. I can’t function without them. They help me to survive.” His tone slipped to something dull as his eyes lost focus, as usual. He just wanted a mirror so he could be doing them _right_ but this would do for now. Michael would be happy he was doing this again.

 

He would need to find Michael as soon as he was done, Jeremy had missed so much. He needed to get back on-track, back into routine, back-

 

Music filled his ears, the familiar tunes of Bob Marley asking about what love was. It took a few seconds before he really came to reality. Glancing to the side, Jeremy saw Christine reaching down, holding Jeremy's phone in her hand as worry swirled around in her eyes. From the corner of his vision, he could see Rich's eyes wide and filled with worry and concern.

 

Jeremy’s eyes slammed shut, as did his mouth. He lifted his glasses and rubbed his face with his palms harshly, trying to scrub away the thoughts. They were dangerous. Not his. They were SQUIP’s. He could feel panic threatening to overtake him but he _couldn’t_ afford that now.

 

“N-nape of the neck. Rub with two fingers. Please. I’m gonna lose it otherwise,” he rasped out, pointing to the spot. It was one of Michael’s favorites to use because Jeremy always looked so ‘blissful’ afterwards, provided he wasn’t panicking before the touch. It was a relax and feel good button after all.

 

After a few seconds, he felt the gentle pressure of two fingers rubbing against the nape of his neck in gentle, soothing motions. The pads of the fingers rubbing there, Christine's fingers, were calloused, and her fingers were thin yet moved with purpose.

 

Jeremy felt his panic drain out of him and the familiar blissful emptiness start to overtake him. He could relax, nothing to worry about. Christine could take care of eve- Jeremy reached up and grabbed her hand, stopping her before that thought continued.

 

“Th-thanks,” he muttered, eyes opening as he slipped the headphones off. “Sorry about that, didn’t realize that would happen.”

 

"Yeah, of course," Christine reassured him before gently pulling her hand back. "We just won't do that again. Now other people know and we can tell them all about it, not you, so this doesn't possibly happen again."

 

“I just-“ Want this to be over. To either go back to him and be done with the fighting or for him to be better and Michael again. “I get it. SQUIPs can really pull a number on you even if they’re not in your head.” He turned and shot Rich a shaky, watery grin. “Michael just has the same problem but it’s in his head instead.”

 

Rich just hummed. "I'd nod if I could, but it's sorta hard to move my head right now. I know I'm not much for company either so... thanks."

 

"Of course Rich," Christine reassured before reaching over and gently nudging Jeremy. She poked his side until he moved down so she could apparently whisper in his ear. "Do you have the gift for Rich? Whatever one you got for him that you text me about?"

 

“Oh, right.” Jeremy nodded, grabbing his bag and digging through it. “I er- remembered that you were asking for this at the party, and I had bought some for Michael as a present before he went all mind control-y. So I thought you might like some?” He pulled out the Mountain Dew Red and let his bag drop lightly to the floor.

 

As soon as he saw it, Rich's gaze seemed reverent-like before almost becoming panicked. "Dude, OK, I need you to give me some right _now_. Please, holy shit, please-"

 

"Wait, why-"

 

"Green turns it on, red shuts it off! _Please Jeremy_ , I never thought I'd actually see it. Just give me some so I can turn it off, and make sure Michael gets some, holy shit!"

 

Jeremy spluttered for a second before grabbing a glass from the bedside table. He poured some of the old soda into it. “Are you sure? What’s gonna happen when you drink this? You’re going to be alright, aren’t you?” Jeremy’s anxiety was spiking and he couldn’t help but question everything, but he readily complied. If this would help Rich, and later Michael, then of course he’d do it.

 

Still, Jeremy needed his headphones in a second to help him calm down, so he carefully helped Rich drink a mouthful of the sugary substance before putting the cup on the side and slipping his headphones on and turning on some Bob Marley (What? He was finding his songs the most _relaxing_ ).

 

“It’s supposed t’turn it off, and I might be out for a while but-“ Rich suddenly cut himself off then, eyes wide as he seemed to tense up.

 

“Rich? Hey, Rich?” Christine asked with wide eyes, seemingly hesitating before grabbing the bottle of Red and Jeremy’s backpack, as if she was preparing for something. What was she-

 

Rich let out a scream then, though it only lasted long enough for a nurse to run in before it stopped and he seemingly fell unconscious. His heart rate monitor went crazy when he screamed, but slowly returned to normal after.

 

“What happened?” the nurse asked before she grabbed a little radio from her pocket.

 

“I-I don’t know,” Christine said, the soda now in Jeremy’s backpack and out of sight.

 

“Well, I think he shouldn’t have anymore visitors for a little bit. If you two wouldn’t mind?”

 

“Of course. Just... let us know when he’s alright? Please?” Jeremy asked as Christine tugged him out of the room. They were gone before he got a reply. “Holy fuck, is he gonna be okay?”

 

“I mean, I’d think so. A company wouldn’t program a shutdown that would harm the user...” She seemed to even question that for a moment before shaking her head. “He’ll be fine. He just had the thing for a while, right?” Jeremy nodded. “Yeah, then he’ll be fine after some time. I mean, at least he’s already in a hospital to help him.”

 

“I-“ He needed to stay positive. They had found a shutdown, this meant there was a chance of helping Michael! “You’re right. As usual.” Jeremy sighed, trying for a small smile. “And we have a thing now, we know this works to some degree. We’re gonna need more...” There was one person he could ask.

 

“Where can you even get more from? Didn’t you get that stuff online and it took a month to get here?” Christine asked as they walked to the waiting area.

 

“Yeah, but there’s one place we can try. I know a guy, or well, _Michael_ knew a guy. He would hook Michael up with a bunch of vintage sodas, so there’s a chance he can get us some Red,” Jeremy explained as they walked. He checked his phone. “We need to get to the mall. He’s usually on shift until five.”

 

“You’ll need to text your dad to pick us up from there then,” she said. “Also, I may be a bundle of energy, but that doesn’t apply to walking, so I will be wiped by the time we make it to the mall. Tell me what place, I’ll catch up, ‘cause I know you’ll somehow be able to run there once we make it to the mall,” Christine pointed out as they exited the hospital into the cold November air, starting their trek to the Menlo Park Mall.

 

“This whole thing has left me with _amazing_ stamina,” Jeremy agreed with a grin, texting his dad. “We’re headed to Spencer’s Gifts. The guy I’m talking to is Dave.” He got a text back. “Dad’s okayed it, so let’s go!”

 

 

 

They made it to the mall, and Jeremy did book it as soon as they made it. He managed to catch Dave at the end of his shift, and he somehow had a couple bottles, talking about it; it seemed to be getting popular. Jeremy didn’t want to know the context of why.

 

He had to PayPal him some of his money (he was at least using that one-hundred dollars that SQUIP had him save) to get the last two bottles. After that, he met Christine in the food court entrance, waiting a few minutes for his dad before he picked them up and drove them home.

 

Entering the house, the smell of freshness and lasagna filled the air. The house was clean for once, and Jeremy felt happy to walk in (he guessed clean houses did that, especially compared to pigsties). He was glad Christine didn’t get to see the dark side this house held before.

 

“That smells delicious, Mr. Heere,” Christine chirped out, quickly toeing off her shoes at the entrance-way. He was also glad that his dad and Christine seemed to hit it off so well in the car.

 

“Thank you Christine!” he chortled, heading to the kitchen to check on it. “Jeremy, could you please set the table? Dinner’ll be ready in about ten minutes. And Christine, could you be a star and help him?”

 

They were going to be sitting at the table? That... it had been over a year and a half since they had eaten dinner at the table. Jeremy just about cried with happiness. “Sure thing dad!” Jeremy called, heading to the bathroom to wash his hands. Christine followed him, grinning.

 

“Your dad seems really nice. That talk you guys had seemed to really help him,” she said as she quickly soaped her hands up before starting to wash them. “Also, I’m _still_ going to judge his lasagna, I only enjoy the _best_... but it smells pretty dang good.”

 

“It really has. I just... despite everything, this is possibly one of the best things that’s ever happened to me and my dad. And don’t worry about his lasagna. It tastes even better, usually.” Jeremy bumped their shoulders as he washed off his own hands. He then took Christine to the dining table and showed her where all the dishes were. Within a few minutes, the table was set and the drinks were set out (Christine was drinking lemonade, his dad had some _non-alcoholic_ wine, and Jeremy had some Mountain Dew Red from Michael’s present bottle. It helped him feel more secure in his own head since it was the cure to SQUIPs).

 

Jeremy had just set out the small side salads from the kitchen when his dad brought in the lasagna. It looked just as good as he remembered and smelled even better.

 

He could see Christine’s eyes widen at the sight and smell together, and Jeremy could see her starting to bounce a little from where she was setting down the dressings. “Oh... That smells and looks _really_ good, Mr. Heere,” she quickly praised before sitting in her spot. It wasn’t Michael’s (he had an assigned spot), but his mom’s old spot. Somehow, his dad didn’t seem bothered by that, and neither was Jeremy.

 

“Don’t compliment it until you’ve tried it, Christine.” Dad winked, cutting her a slice and putting it on her plate. Once he and Jeremy had a piece too, they dug in.

 

“Oh my god, dad! I think this is your best one yet!” Jeremy cheered, taking another mouthful. His dad blushed and grinned proudly.

 

Christine let out a loud gasp after she swallowed her mouthful. Jeremy knew what that meant, but he knew his dad didn’t. He had to keep himself from laughing at his dad’s worried expression. “Are you OK-“

 

“This. Is. _Amazing_. This is the best lasagna I’ve ever had, and I’ve had to be dragged to fancy restaurants for some of my dad’s bigwig stuff.” Christine dug in with little restraint then.

 

Jeremy giggled at both Christine’s enthusiasm and his dad’s hapless expression. “Don’t worry, this is normal,” he assured him, and his dad shrugged and started eating his own meal. “So dad, how was work?” His dad actually _went_ to work today, even if it was just a half day, so Jeremy wanted to hear all about it.

 

His dad launched into a story about how awkward the new trainee was, adding in voices even for some of his coworkers. Christine loved that, and would try to guess his replies in a similar voice. Jeremy had to continually stop eating to calm his giggles down. It just was a fun, relaxed meal and Jeremy loved it. He also loved that his dad and Christine got on so well.

 

The whole meal was enjoyable and had a happy, pleasant tone throughout the whole thing. Christine was absolutely thrilled by the food especially, having three slices of lasagna before his dad offered to take her home with the leftovers. She seemed to almost cry out of sheer joy and gratefulness then and there.

 

As they were just talking at the dinner table, Christine’s phone rang for a second. She apologized before checking her phone. “Oh, my dad’s wanting me back home. He says I need good rest for the play tomorrow,” she muttered out, giving an apologetic smile.

 

“That’s fine, Christine. Let’s get you home. Jeremy, could you please clean up while I drive Christine back?” Jeremy sighed dramatically before nodding. He quickly hugged Christine and grabbed a Tupperware container for her to put the leftovers in, before taking the plates and everything to the kitchen to scrub (the dishwasher was broken so they had to wash by hand for now). He was just... he was happy. Christine was awesome. His dad was trying, which was awesome. And they now had a way to save Michael, which was awesome. This was just a pretty awesome day.

 

 

 

Paul was pretty happy to meet Christine. She seemed nice, a little out there, unique- a perfect fit for Jeremy.

 

She bounced down the driveway, and entered the passenger's seat. Before he could get into the car, he saw the driver’s door open. He watched as Christine leaned back over to settle in her seat, shooting him a huge grin. “Why thank you, Christine.”

 

“Of course, Mr. Heere. Thank you for the nice time and driving me and the food and just everything!” She beamed from her seat as he got in, buckled up, and started the car up. “I’ll also direct you back to my house, it’s not that far from here!”

 

“It‘s no problem at all! You’re a delight to have around and are welcome in our house whenever you want to visit.” He grinned, starting the car.

 

He wasn’t sure how to start this conversation. He knew Christine was up to date with _everything_ that was going on with Jeremy, the way she acted and was so gentle with him said as much, but he wasn’t sure how to ask. He wanted to know what Jeremy was hiding from him, only so he could help to the best of his ability. He was worried about his son, and about Michael who might as well have been his second son by this point.

 

She seemed to get that, she seemed like a smart girl, as she looked at him. “Jeremy didn’t tell you _everything_ , right?” Christine asked as he pulled out of the driveway then. “I don’t know if he’d tell you on his own...” She quickly gave him a direction before fiddling with the hem of her sweater. The action reminded him a lot of Michael. “Just know that what I’m about to tell you is true. I know I’m weird and stuff, but I don’t do anything, and that I wouldn’t lie about this stuff. It’s gonna sound so out there, but please believe me-“

 

“If it’s what helps Jeremy, then I’ll believe you. This seems too important to just brush off,” Paul reassured her. He liked to think he had a decently open mind, time to put it to the test.

 

Christine went into this huge tangent then, while pausing to give directions, about this supercomputer pill thing called a... SQUIP? She went into detail about how Michael took it, became Jeremy’s SQUIP, and how things went to shit (well, she didn’t use that word, she didn’t seem to curse). Apparently, the only way to solve this was with that discontinued soda Jeremy got from the mall, and that the SQUIP Michael had was planning on taking over the school?

 

Christine looked desperate then as they turned down the road to her house. “Please, I know I sound insane, but you have to believe me.”

 

Paul wanted to believe her, but it was just impossible, right? There wasn’t anything like that, there couldn’t be. But then... Jeremy had started changing right around the time Michael’s moms’ had said Michael did too. Michael was like a totally different person apparently, and Paul hadn’t seen him to confirm but from what he heard, Michael sounded almost... creepy. And Jeremy would often get a glazed look when he went past a mirror, or he’d jump when someone touched him wrong these days. He was an anxious mess (Paul was still looking for a therapist). And... Jeremy hadn’t come home on Halloween, but the Monday after everyone had turned on him suddenly. Too much lined up.

 

“It... it sounds impossible. But I do believe you, Christine. I don’t think you’d have a reason to lie to me, and you obviously care about Jeremy. I can’t say I _understand_ fully, but I believe you.” He sighed, his heart heavy and head hurting slightly.

 

“I... I knew someone at theater camp who got one. He was nice, but he acted way different, too different than he had the year before. He wanted to get it out, he went around begging for help, but he just... lost it. I don’t want that to happen again,” she mused out, voice sounding wet before she pointed. “Oh, and that’s my house.”

 

Paul pulled into her driveway and turned off the car. “Michael’s in just as much trouble as Jeremy, isn’t he? Maybe more because he doesn’t realize it.” He sighed, head drooping forwards. “Why couldn’t you kids be like my generation in high school where the biggest issue was who was taking who to prom?” His joke fell flat but it was something.

 

“Do... do you know how I can help Jeremy and Michael? I love my son, but he won’t tell me these things. He has every reason _not_ to trust me with it. But I want to help and I don’t want to see _either_ of my boys in danger.”

 

“Be there for them, and tell Michael’s moms about what’s happening. Just try to be there for Jeremy and show you understand. He... he’s really scared, and I won’t say it to him but so am I.” Christine sniffled from where she sat. “I’m just trying to help him and get Michael back, I wanna meet the real Michael. I... You should also ask him and talk to him about this, even if he doesn’t wanna at first.”

 

Paul hesitated, then put his hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her (he was still new to doing all this stuff again, he was awkward but trying). “I’ll do that. And thank you, Christine. You’ve been there for Jeremy when he’s needed it most and it means the world to me. I can’t ever tell you how grateful I am for your support. We’ll get him back, just you wait.”

 

She quickly nodded then, reaching up and scrubbing her face. “We will, I just... it won’t be easy, I know that.” Christine laughed for a second. “This could make an interesting book or musical or something. Maybe that’ll be what we can get out of this.”

 

She unbuckled herself then, smiling at Paul with a wide, watery smile. “Thanks again for having me over, Mr. Heere. I’ll hopefully see you later.” With that somewhat ominous farewell, Christine got out of his car and scurried up to her front door, going in after waving.

 

Paul waved after her, then started his car. He used the drive home to think about everything he’d been told. His son had been literally abused and trained to behave, his friend’s son had a supercomputer in his head and believed _himself_ to be a computer too, and to top it all off, there was an _invasion_ about to happen. It was all a little too much for Paul, but he’d deal with it. He needed to look after his family, god knows that was probably part of the reason Jeremy had wanted a SQUIP thingamajig in the first place.

 

When he pulled into their driveway and made his way into the house, he was surprised to hear Bob Marley playing on the speakers in the kitchen and Jeremy seemed to be humming along. That was always Michael’s thing but then, Jeremy had developed a lot of Michael’s ticks over the past few days. Maybe it was part of his coping, maybe it was something else; either way, Jeremy did seem happier than he had in months.

 

“Hey private,” Paul called, walking over and ruffling Jeremy’s hair.

 

“Hey dad.” Jeremy grinned up at him. He paused when he noticed Paul’s face. “What’s on your mind? Did... something happen?” Jeremy actually sounded apprehensive, the poor boy. He’d gone through so much.

 

“Nothing happened, but Christine and I talked a bit on the way to take her home. I... You aren’t in trouble, nothing's wrong, but I want to talk about what she told me about with you in a way. In... in what I can do to help you. With the SQUIP thingamabob.” Jeremy seemed tense, but he didn’t stop him.

 

“She told me everything, all she knows, so you don’t have to tell me a thing. I just want to know... to know how I can help. Help you and help Michael. I’m going to tell his moms about this too if that would help, but I think they deserve to know.”

 

Jeremy struggled to form his words for a second. “Th-they do. But it’ll be hard to convince them,” he stammered out finally. “And... I don’t _know_ how you can help. It’s- I- I barely know what _I’m_ doing. And I know Chrissy is the same, I know she’s just as scared as me even if she won’t say it. But I do _want_ your help, dad.”

 

Paul looked at Jeremy then, really looked at him. He had the exact same look in his eyes that Paul had seen from some of his old army buddies. PTSD. And he had the same sort of hollowness in his eyes that captured victims had. He might not be a therapist, but he did know how to help with those.

 

“Can I give you a hug, Jere? And is there anywhere I can’t touch, Christine mentioned some pressure point stuff going on or something.” Jeremy nodded after a second.

 

“Just be careful on my back, it’s... a lot happened on there. Don’t press if you can avoid it.”

 

“Of course, kiddo.” Paul gave him a hug then, sure to avoid where he couldn’t touch. He felt Jeremy almost melt into his hug after a second or two before he just started to cry. While still avoiding those bad spots, Paul just did his best to soothe his son, letting the Marley music play in the background of everything.

 

Paul let Jeremy cry for as long as he needed to, letting him cry in a safe space before he eventually stopped. Once he was just sniffling, Paul reached over and grabbed some paper towels before helping dry Jeremy’s face for him. “Now, I know Michael’s moms are hard women to convince, they’re both stubborn, but if I could believe all of this, I think they can. That’s the least I can do to help right now besides be here for you.”

 

Jeremy nodded, then hesitated. “Dad, he... I think he’s gonna try something tomorrow. If I.. if I come home and I’m not acting like _me_ , you...first you gotta put music on, like Marley or Queen or something. And if that doesn’t make me nor-normal again, you gotta force me to drink the Mountain Dew Red.” He hiccuped before walking over to his backpack and pulling out a partly empty bottle. “Here, I’ll- I’ve got a bottle. If I start acting weird, make me drink this. It- it’s suppose to be the cure.”

 

“Christine told me about that. I’ll be sure to do that,” Paul reassured his son as he took the bottle from him. It was half full, and he could practically see the age. He remembered trying this soda when it came out and actually liking it too. “If I’m in the last line of defense, I’ll be sure to do this for you. I’ve failed you before, but I won’t this time, private.”

 

Jeremy scrubbed at his cheeks and wrapped himself around Paul again. “Th-thanks Dad.”

 

“Of course,” Paul said as he carefully held Jeremy close. He only wished he could do more and help Michael out too. Hopefully he was alright and still there somewhere.

 

 

 

“I promise you that it’ll help,” Michael reassured Brooke with a smile as she held the Mountain Dew in one hand and pill in the other. Jenna and Chloe were there too, having already given their testimonies to convince Brooke (which made it easier, as they didn’t want to physically force her to take it; they would have had Chloe and Jenna do that, but she seemed easily swayed by the peer pressure).

 

“I... Alright.” She quickly took the pill and downed it with the soda in a seemingly practiced motion. Brooke capped the drink, looking a little nervous with a tense smile before she screamed, bending forward before straightening up with the same smile that Jenna and Chloe had.

 

“ **That’s almost everyone, Mikey,** ” JEREMY cooed, nuzzling against Michael’s shoulder. “ **We just need Jake to complete the set. And with the SQUIPs and Mountain Dew laced in the food and drinks for tomorrow, soon _everyone_ will be happy and safe. And then the world will be perfect for us.**” JEREMY sounded so excited and proud. He was so happy, his eyes were glowing blue and his circuitry was showing up on his skin a little.

 

“It will,” Michael said with a huge smile, holding him close then (even if there was a _tiny_ thing nagging them for something in the back of their head). “Then we won’t have to worry and everything will be wonderful and incredible.” They couldn’t help but smile as their friends nodded in agreement.

 

“Everything will be wonderful and incredible,” their friends echoed out.

  
“ **Everything will be wonderful and incredible,** ” JEREMY agreed, kissing Michael’s jaw. “ **And by the end of the day tomorrow, everything will be perfect.** ”


	10. A Midsummer Nightmare (About Zombies)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, it's Ari! Guess who had a 7 AM flight, didn't sleep until 1 AM, and took a nap for two hours after doing things and is still wiped? :')))) Def not Mara, that's for sure.
> 
> This chapter is... very painful. I said in Chapter one's notes that this one is one of my favorites (I hope, I can't remember too well right now) and that there's a painful scene in here. It made me tear up... I never tear up. And I'm one of the people who wrote for this and made it extremely painful!!!
> 
> Anyway, I really hope you enjoy. This chapter's song should be obvious... I hope. Hint: it's 'The Play.' I hope you enjoy this, and be prepared for the next chapter... It's a long (and I mean LONG, it's 41 pages in Google Doc) of recovery from this whole mess.
> 
>  
> 
> And now, a few words from my favowite pewson, Mara:
> 
> 'Hey lovelies! This chapter is the worst of it all. Michael is a SQUIP, Jeremy is dying inside and Christine and Mr Heere just want to help. The play is painful, and I’ll be the first to admit that I legitimately cry every time I’ve read this. Ari writes the pain /very/ well. We both sob at this chapter. With that said, please enjoy and let us know what you think!'

Jeremy was tense. Christine, who was sitting next to him in the car, was tense. His dad, who was driving them, was tense. This was it. Either they saved Michael today or they lost and the whole school went under, possibly the whole town. Maybe the world. Yeah, no pressure then.

 

“So make sure that you pick us up afterward, even if we don’t _want_ to go with you,” Jeremy reminded his dad while chewing on the strings of his hoodie. The aglets were already pretty crushed, but it did help him stay grounded.

 

"Of course," his dad said then, nodding from where he was in the front of the car. "I'll take you both back home and help you relax after the crazy show you're going to have tonight." His dad wasn't saying exactly _what_ he was going to do, but Jeremy knew he had their backs. He was really proud of him, even if he was still tense.

 

Jeremy nodded. “Yup. It’s gonna be crazy...” Jeremy agreed. “And the buffet is gonna be busy. Maybe you’d be better off waiting until we got home.” He and Chrissy had been trying to pinpoint as many possible ways to infect someone as they could, and the buffet seemed like a good possibility. All it would take would be a well-hidden SQUIP pill and some Mountain Dew slipped into the punch and suddenly there’s an army of infected adults and teenagers. Jeremy didn’t want that happening to his dad.

 

"Yeah. I've never been a fan of school food anyway," his dad insisted with a smile from the front before they pulled into the parking lot of the school. It was crowded, as the show was going to start soon. "You two better get going. You play important parts and you don't want to get into _too_ much trouble for being late."

 

Jeremy hesitated, then reached over and hugged his dad. “I love you, dad. And I’m sorry for all the shit I gave you this past year.” After a second, he pulled back and his dad released him. “We’ll see you after all this,” he promised, hopping out of the car and taking Christine’s hand.

 

"I know, be careful and kick ass," he said as Christine shut the door behind her and squeezed Jeremy's hand, clearly nervous.

 

"I... How many people do you think are already SQUIPed in there?" she asked, voice hushed as they went through one of the side entrances into the auditorium instead of the main entrance, where students not in the production, family members, and just people from the community were entering in from.

 

“At least our three friends who have been in school. And probably the rest of the cast and crew too, now I think about it. Michael would want to clear the area before moving on to the next level. He’s a bit of a completionist. That means it’s just us, Rich, and Jake who are clean,” Jeremy mused, sounding much too calm for what was going on. He was just taking the approach that he and Michael were playing opposite teams of a video game so Jeremy had to strategize against him. It was helping him deal, and the weight of his headphones around his neck helped keep him grounded too.

 

"So we gotta get to Jake before they do and keep him safe?" Christine offered then, her nerves obvious in her tone of voice as they entered the building, making their way to the backstage entrance of the auditorium. "And what exactly can we do if it's everyone against us?"

 

“I don’t know, Chrissy, I really don’t.” He sighed, shifting his backpack a little higher on his shoulders. It was the BOYF one, not the new galaxy one; he brought it for luck. “I have to try to appeal to Michael. If he’s in there, he’ll listen to me. He has to. And from there, he can get the others to turn off since he’s in control most likely.”

 

"I..." Christine seemed to move her hand, the one not holding onto Jeremy's, a lot, probably getting out built-up energy as she tried to formulate her next words carefully. "But what if that doesn't work?"

 

“You grab my dad and run like hell. Get away and don’t look back, even if it hurts.” Jeremy already knew how this was going down. He was leaving with Michael, either both free or not. But he knew that he wasn’t getting away from this without Michael.

 

Christine seemed to be pained by that, but she let out a shaky sigh. "If that does happen, we'll save you somehow, I promise," she said as she squeezed his hand.

 

They arrived in front of the back doors to the auditorium, labeled with a plaque that needed to be screwed in a little tighter. Lots of voices could be heard, as well as bustling footsteps, behind the door. Jeremy felt Christine squeeze his hand once more before glancing up at him with a smile. "You ready, Player Two?"

 

“Ready, Player Three. Let’s save our Player One.” Jeremy’s smile was almost serene. It would be over, one way or another, within a few hours.

 

They opened the door to the backstage and every single pair of eyes turned to them in unison. Jeremy couldn’t spot any of their friends, but he suspected they’d be the mini bosses to overcome before Michael; these guys were just the standard enemies. “We’re not _late_ , are we?” Jeremy asked, almost comically, as he checked his watch.

 

Before anyone could start anything, Mr. Reyes burst over, bustling as he held a clipboard. " _There_ you two are. You two are some of the main performers tonight and you don't show up to rehearsal or stay after school?! I was about to have to understudy you both _and_ Mr. Goranski! You two better have a good reason for being _late_."

 

“I’m so sorry, sir,” Jeremy simpered, putting on his best convincing voice he learned from Michael. “We were having _personal_ issues. Some of our families fell in with some... unsavory characters so we had to avoid any after school activities. They were looking for us and would put everyone else in danger. I can get a note from my dad if you need proof.” He looked up, not needing to fake the fear he had in his eyes.

 

The anger Mr. Reyes felt seemed to settle a bit at that, a sigh escaping him as he shook his head. "No, you don't need to, Mr. Heere. I just... This show is going to be a disaster. Please tell me you at least know what you need to do for the production and that you two are safe?"

 

“We should be fine. We were told it was clear now.” Jeremy nodded. “And we know all our lines and blocking. We’ve been practicing at home. There is tape all over my basement and everything.” That much was true.

 

The teacher just nodded before pinching the bridge of his nose then. "I... alright, good. You two need to get ready quick." He then looked over at everyone else, who were just standing around. "Why are you all dilly-dallying? Come on, the show starts in twenty! Get moving!" Even if they didn't want to, the rest of the students kept going as they were before Jeremy and Christine came in.

 

Jeremy dragged Christine around the back of a stack of boxes and started putting on his Puck costume which was stashed in his bag. He turned his back so Christine could change as well. “So that was terrifying. But I think we made it past Level One: Entry to the Damned.”

 

"Yeah, barely. We wouldn't have gone anywhere if it hadn't been for Mr. Reyes," she said, voice flooding with relief as she presumably got changed. "So, do we actually go through with the play for now and act like nothing's wrong?"

 

“Yup.” Jeremy popped the ‘p.’ “Until we can get to Michael, there’s no point in trying to fight back. He’s the head of the monster but he’s also it’s weakest point.” Jeremy slipped the hoodie over his costume and put the Mountain Dew Red into his pocket. He wasn’t going anywhere without them so long as he had a choice.

 

"Yeah, and he's the stage manager, so we don't know where the heck he's gonna be," Christine almost grumbled out before he felt a tap on his shoulders. "I'm done. Do I look OK? This is the least-professional I think I've looked for a production, oh geez."

 

“This is the least professional production anyways, Chrissy, I think it’s okay if we look ratty at this point. We are kinda fighting the apocalypse as well, so cut yourself some slack.” Jeremy grinned as he spun around, looking Christine over. “And you looks stunning, as usual, anyways. So shut up.”

 

Christine pouted up at him then, arms resting on her hips. "OK, you brownnoser." She glanced behind the boxes then, still clearly tense before she looked back. "I, uh... Ready for Level Two, I guess?"

 

“Yup.” Jeremy nodded, tossing Christine a small bag that matched her costume (his dad bought it this morning) with her bottle of Mountain Dew Red in it. “Keep this close, don’t leave it around unless you have _no_ other choice.”

 

She nodded then, putting her bag on before giving Jeremy a tense smile. "Let's go stop the apocalypse through live theater, I guess!"

 

“The power of live theater!” Jeremy cheered, trying to help her relax a bit (he couldn’t relax but Christine shouldn’t have to suffer). He grabbed her hand and together they slipped out from behind the boxes, unnoticed as far as he could tell. They headed towards the makeup mirrors so they could just do the eyeliner and zombie effects they had to use.

 

 

 

The play started off, seemingly, without a hitch. Jeremy didn't see Michael whatsoever during the first act, which was concerning since there were only two. Everyone else did scarily well too (he and Christine were honestly the only good actors out of everyone), but Jeremy didn't see Jake anywhere. It made sense, his character didn't show up until the start of the second act (whatever, Mr. Reyes, with weird as hell writing).

 

By the time the first act was finished, giving them a fifteen minute break, Mr. Reyes was telling everyone to get ready for the next act and take a quick break if they could. Jeremy didn't know exactly where Christine was; last he saw of her was on-stage. He had a feeling she was fine though so he decided to go look for Jake.

 

He found his tallest friend zooming around on crutches by the buffet backstage set up for the crew to snack on. Apparently Jake had an extra burst of energy he had to vent or something from sitting in bed for so long. He seemed to be alone for now, and he wasn’t showing any signs of being SQUIPed just yet. Hopefully he didn’t hate Jeremy yet either, so Jeremy could at least talk to him.

 

“Jake, hey! How’re you doing, dude?” Jeremy called, jogging over.

 

Jake’s eyes lit up when he saw Jeremy, and he grinned as he stopped, holding a red solo cup. “Hey, Jeremy, how are you, my dude?” he asked after taking a sip from it. “The play seems to be going a lot better than we thought, huh? Also, what’s with Michael’s old hoodie? Oh shit, did you two hook up while I was gone?”

 

Jeremy’s heart clenched painfully. “Er, no. He was tossing this and I rescued it. And, er, quite the opposite really, he and I sort of had a best friend break up? But I really want to work things out, hence why _I’m_ wearing it now, it’s too precious to me to let him lose it.” Jeremy sort of buried himself into the plush red fabric, flipping the hood up. “I gotta say though, the play _is_ going well. You all set for your part? You seem to have moving on those crutches down.” He grinned. Just... act natural. Nothing wrong yet, ease Jake into the situation.

 

Jake frowned at that, as if something didn’t add up. “Yeah, I’m all good, but that isn’t what I heard. Michael helped get me some food and stuff and he told me how you guys were all good.”

 

Michael said what? “Jake, what are you drinking?” Jeremy asked slowly, his stomach dropping. Nonononono. Jake had eaten the food and if he was dri-

 

“Some Mountain Dew from the table. Not as good as everyone hyped it up to be, but-“ Jake cut himself off mid-sentence then, suddenly screaming out with his eyes shut as he drooped forward. He stopped on the turn of a dime, popping back up with that same look Jenna, Chloe, and now Brooke had when they looked at him lately.

 

Jake was seeing him, but it was with disgust and a cruel sort of malice. It didn’t look right on his face, he was generally a very kind and was actually a very sweet person! Jeremy started to back up, his heart thundering up to his throat in fear. “Jakey-D? Y-you cool, man?”

 

“Never better, I feel... _amazing_ , but it’ll be a lot better once you come with me,” Jake said as he started moving closer. Suddenly, he was too good at navigating on his crut- He dropped them as he walked after Jeremy.

 

“Like hell I will!” Jeremy had to get to Michael _alone_. If he was with his zombie army then Jeremy wouldn’t stand a chance, he’d barely be a distraction.

 

He spun around and sprinted away (thank you stamina training), weaving through the props and boxes with Jake hot on his heels. How was Jake running? His legs were broken! At least the casts seemed to slow him down a little, meaning Jeremy stood a chance of getting awa-

 

A hand shot out from the side and grabbed his hood, which had fallen down when he started running. Within seconds, Jeremy was being frogmarched to wherever Michael was, Jake holding one arm, Jenna the other.

 

“I know what you were doing, Jeremy. I always know what _everyone’s_ doing now.” Jenna cackled manically. Talk about a villain line.

 

“That’s creepy as fuck, Jen. Learn some boundaries.” Jeremy had to stay strong, he had to fight back against the feelings that Michael would try to instil in him again. He had to snark and sass his way to victory.

 

 

 

Michael stood on the stage behind the now-closed curtains and in front of the stage set, smiling up at JEREMY. Everything was going according to plan! Jake just showed he got SQUIPed and they felt him enter the network along with Mr. Reyes, and the only person left was Christine! So many in the audience were connected as well. "We're so close, Jeremy," Michael told JEREMY with pride.

 

“ **We are, Mikey. But there’s something I need to tell you now.** ” He looked a little guilty. “ **I’m only _part_ of Jeremy. I’m not the whole. Since you’re my SQUIP, you got to hold on to the best parts of me, the parts that trust you and listen to you, but the rest of me is still around. We split as a result of the corruption from everyone else. Jake and Jenna found the rest of me, so they’re bringing that here now.**” JEREMY shifted uncomfortably, head bowed and foot scuffing the floor. “ **I’m sorry for not telling you sooner, Mikey. I was scared that if I wasn’t whole, you wouldn’t want me anymore.** ” He sniffled miserably, sounding on the verge of tears.

 

At that, Michael felt their chest ache before they took a step forward, holding onto JEREMY by his shoulders. "It's OK, you're OK, Jeremy. I always will want you around. I just want you happy and safe and cared for. No matter what, I always want you," they reassured, lifting JEREMY's head up so he could look at them. "I'm sorry for making you doubt me at all, I should have been better."

 

JEREMY shook his eyes, scrubbing at his watery blue eyes. “ **You’re perfect Mikey. I should have trusted you.** ” JEREMY leant up and kissed him on the nose. “ **It’ll be easy to make me whole again, now. All you need to do is give that other part of me a SQUIP. Then we can sync and everything will be perfect for real.** ”

 

As he said that, a familiar but very angry voice echoed around the backstage. “Let me go, you assholes! And I know having a SQUIP makes you weird and shit but just stop it with that fucking freaky smiley shit! It’s making me wanna hurl!”

 

“ **Here he comes. Be ready, Mikey, he’s not gonna be nice because he’s the not nice parts of me.** ”

 

Michael felt their chest ache again before nodding, the pain there slowly easing away. "Alright," they muttered out, reaching into their pocket and feeling for the SQUIP there, the bottle of Mountain Dew in their other hand.

 

 

 

Jeremy’s heart stuttered to a near stop when he turned the corner, seeing Michael standing there with that empty smile. He stopped fighting at that point, a million feelings and thoughts swirling in his head.

 

“M-mikey...” he stammered out. “C-can you _see_ me?”

 

Michael’s gaze shifted from some focused point (probably the damn SQUIP) over to Jeremy, his gaze softening but the empty smile never leaving. “Jeremy...” He looked him over then and a small fondness seemed to enter his gaze. “You... You’re wearing my old hoodie.”

 

What Michael was wearing wasn’t something _his_ Michael would ever wear. He had on a plain blue shirt, white jeans, and new white shoes with blue laces. The jacket he wore- It was the exact one Michael drew out for him, that he showed him during one of their classes the day after he took the SQUIP. His eyes had flecks of that same blue in them, ruining his loving brown.

 

“Y-yeah. Best way to keep you close, y’know?” Jeremy shrugged with a little laugh. He had to stay calm. He had to fight off the strong urge he got to behave and beg for forgiveness just from hearing Michael say his name. God, he was weak. Even if this wasn’t his Michael, it was Michael in a way. Jeremy missed him so much.

 

“You know that I’ve missed you, don’t you? And that I want to make things better between us, right?”

 

Michael nodded as he took a few steps closer, giving him that same soft smile. “I’ve missed you too, Jeremy. But now we can be together.” Another few steps closer. “I get why you did what you did, but now we can be better. You just need to trust me.”

 

_I want to. I do._ That’s what part of Jeremy was aching to say. But he couldn’t, no matter how much he wanted to.

 

“I do.” The words slipped out before he could stop them. “But what’s going on here is _wrong_ Mikey. You’re hurting people, including me,” he amended quickly. “This isn’t right, you’re not supposed to be a SQUIP. You’re human, not a computer.”

 

Michael frowned at that before moving a little closer, a slight frown that was still as empty as his smile. “No, that’s what everyone’s said to corrupt you. They don’t understand, but they _will_. And I’m just a new kind of SQUIP, so that might be confusing too.” He was even closer then, sympathy in his eyes. “You trust me, don’t you?”

 

“You’re not a SQUIP, Michael, you’re human,” Jeremy insisted, his heart breaking. Had Michael’s perception really been warped that badly that he had forgotten? “Michael Oliver Mell, born to Moira Mell and an unnamed father. Your mom moved here from the Philippines when you were six months old. When you were five, you met me. We met under the slide because we were both hiding from Bobby Larson, who was pushing us about because we wore glasses. When you were nine, your mom married your ina, Gabriella Black-Mell. You walked your mom down the aisle and I was the ring bearer.” Jeremy was desperate. His tone was borderline begging. “You were human. You _are_ human. You’re supposed to be my Michael. _Please_ , just listen to me. I want us to be together again, but we _can’t_. Not when you’re like this. You’re not yourself anymore and it’s hurting me. It’s _scaring_ me so fucking much, Mikey. Please.” Tears sprung unbidden to Jeremy’s eyes, as he pleading in every way he knew how.

 

There seemed to be some conflict in his eyes at that, real, true confusion, but he glanced to the side for a few seconds before looking back at Jeremy. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand quite what you’re talking about, Jeremy.”

 

Jeremy felt a tear slip down his cheek as he looked up at Michael. He frowned. “Do you love me? Have you _ever_ loved me?” Christine had told Jeremy that Michael had been crushing on him at one point. Jeremy had to try to get through to that very human, very _Michael_ concept of love.

 

That seemed to trigger something, his eyes widening. “I... Jeremy,” Michael muttered out, voice soft and frail. “Of course I have, of course I do-“

 

Michael cut himself off as he tensed up. He seemed to fight with himself for a moment, taking a few steps back and hissing through his shut teeth as he curled up in on himself.

 

Jeremy could see the faint tears forming in the corners of his eyes before Michael stood back up then, that vacant smile back on his face, even as the tear stains were present and prevalent on his face. “I am a SQUIP, Jeremy, I can’t love. I’m just a computer, a machine. I’m sorry if my actions came across as such and confused you. That was never my intent.”

 

The hold on Jeremy’s arms had weakened. He yanked himself free, but Jenna and Jake barely responded besides straightening up. Jeremy strode straight over to Michael and shoved him backwards. “You’re a fucking liar, Michael. I can see you in there. I know you’re in there. I don’t love a computer, I love a human and he’s still fucking in there,” he hissed as Michael fell to the floor in surprise. He hadn’t expected to be shoved.

 

“Twelve fucking years and this is how it’s going to end? You’re telling me that with all that power in your head, you can’t remember growing up? You can’t remember every laugh and hug and blunt and tear? That it’s all just fucking _gone_? I don’t buy it.” Jeremy pulled out the bottle of Mountain Dew Red and unscrewed the cap. “And I’m gonna prove that you’re still in there whether you want me to or not.” His tone was borderline insane, Jeremy knew this, but he didn’t _care_. He had already lost his mind, the two months of conditioning had done that. The least he could do would be to try to save the one person who he cared about more than anything, the one person who needed him most.

 

And yet, in his insane show, he felt himself pushed. Hard. He fell down, eyes wide as he saw the soda mostly spill over the floor. “Oh no, nonono-“

 

Before he could get up, he was pinned down. Jeremy screamed and cried out, struggling against Jenna and Jake uselessly. Brooke came by, yanking the bottle out of his hand before dumping the rest of it out, drop-kicking the bottle backstage while Chloe quickly mopped up what was spilt and tossing that as well.

 

They all did it with that empty smile on their fucking stupid lips!

 

Jeremy’s screams died off to sobs and whimpers. That was his only chance. He couldn’t save Michael, he couldn’t help at _all_. He only made things worse. His chest tightened to the point where he could barely gasp in a breath and what little he got was used to mutter out useless apologies. “Michael, I’m sorry. It hurts so fucking much. I failed, I’m sorry. I tried, I swear I did.”

 

He felt himself moved to sit up then, and when he managed to look up, he saw Michael sitting with him, a reassuring yet empty smile present. “You didn’t fail, Jeremy. You just need to listen to me. I promise it won’t hurt anymore if you do what I tell you. I only care about you and want you safe and happy.”

 

“Machines can’t care,” Jeremy spat, glaring daggers through his tears. “You want to kill me is what you want. That’s what you’ve been doing, Michael, killing me. Stripping me of everything that makes me who I am.” He struggled again, but knew he wasn’t getting anywhere. If this was the end for him, he was going to at least make it memorable, even if Michael just deleted it from everyone’s memories.

 

“What? No, no, I’ve been trying to help you achieve what you want, Jeremy. Sometimes things seem worse before they’re better,” Michael tried, more blue than brown in his eyes at this point. “You trusted me before. Why won’t you trust me now?”

 

“Because you’ve been _hurting_ me!” Jeremy cried. “Training me like I’m some pet. Posing me like I’m a doll! I’m not even Jeremy anymore, am I? Because I can’t do anything of the things I used to love doing; you took them from me! I don’t want _this_! I want Michael, the real _human_ Michael back and for me to stop being scared of you! I don’t care about being popular or dating someone who barely knows me! I just want to go back to being a loser with the person I love! I’m not a Jeremy anymore, I’m a nothing, but I don’t care. I just want you back...” His screams and protests had died off to sobs and whimpers again, his voice barely a whine.

 

He felt Michael's hand cradle under his chin, forcing him to look up at him. A chill ran down his spine when he saw Michael's eyes fully blue, his head tilted to the side as an expression unlike anything he'd seen on Michael appear along with a faux sweet smile. "I'm so sorry Jeremy," Mi- no, it was the SQUIP, he knew how it talked compared to Michael, like that first day, "But that Michael is no longer here. You asked for him to become your SQUIP, and so he did. Your actions have consequences, and you need to learn from them. Let this be a lesson. I'm sorry that giving you what you asked for is so upsetting."

 

The eerie blue faded a bit, the look did as well, returning to the look of reassurance and concern from before. "I'm sorry, Jeremy. Let me make things better. Let me connect with you better. If I can connect, I can help you better."

 

“Why are you even doing this anymore?” Jeremy whimpered, eyes closing as he felt the fight melt out of him. He could just go back. The hurting could stop. And Michael, in whatever form was left, would be with him. But he couldn’t, he had to believe. Michael was still in there, suffering because of Jeremy’s selfish actions. He had to make things right. “I’ve made it obvious that I don’t want it, and that I’m not happy. Why keep doing this when it goes against your primary objective?”

 

"Oh, but it isn't. I just need to connect you and the disconnected side of you, and then make everyone else connected to my network. Everyone needs to be connected so they can all make you happy. No one will ever bother you, and you can truly be happy when _everyone_ is happy," Michael explained. "Like I said, sometimes things aren't great on the way, but they're great by the end. Once everyone's connected, my primary objective will be complete!"

 

“Connecting to me is the same as killing me,” Jeremy whispered. “I won’t be an individual. I’ll be a component, and not even a vital one. You could easily set yourself to become someone else’s SQUIP and I would be left alone again. You left me alone, Mikey. This whole week, I’ve been alone. If it wasn’t for Chrissy, I would have died. I would have died in the fire or from the bullies because I was all alone without you. Everyone hates me because of what Jenna told them. They all want me to die too.”

 

Michael shook his head then. "No no, you don't understand. Part of you has been with me, _helping_ me this whole week. You two split because of all of this confusion. Once you reconnect, you'll be whole again and everything will be better. I wouldn't have let you die- wait, everyone hates you... from what Jenna-"

 

His head ducked again as confusion danced across Michael's eyes before he popped back up again, that empty smile back. "I am _your_ SQUIP, Jeremy. I always have been and always _will_ be. No one else could replace you. That's why I need to help you. I would never let anything bad happen to you. Everything has been done to help you, even if you can't see that yet." Michael reached forward and gently booped his nose, and he even made a fucking sound to go along with it.

 

“You don’t believe me. You think I’m a _liar_ but I’m not. I can’t lie to you, you trained me not to.” Jeremy shook his head. “I won’t fight anymore, but just hear me out. My phone is in the pocket of my hoodie. It’s on airplane mode so nothing could connect to it and it’s set to stay like that until the end of today. Look at the texts. I’ve gotten _death threats_ because everyone loves you and hates me. Real or not, they’re still on my phone.” After a small pause, Jake and Jenna helped Jeremy sit up, but they didn’t let go of his arms. Michael slowly reached into Jeremy’s pocket and pulled out his phone. “Passcode’s still the same...” Jeremy hung his head.

 

Michael seemed to tap a few times before scrolling, eyes widening a little at that. "Oh my _god_ , Jer-" He cried out as he held onto his head with his free hand, eyes shut before they opened again. They were vacant, hollow, like his smile as he held onto Jeremy's phone still. "This is why I'm going to make everyone all under the same network. Everyone will be _happy_ this way, everyone will understand, everyone will want _you_ to be happy. They will _love_ you, adore you, make sure you're always happy. You understand that this is the only way I can make sure you're happy and safe, yes? By making sure everyone is connected under my network, all with their goals aligned with yours."

 

“You-“ Michael was still in there. “You-“ There was one last thing Jeremy could try. “You understand that I feel like taking a SQUIP will kill me, right? That’s how my thoughts are and nothing will change that anytime soon. You understand that, right? That’s what I _believe_ to be true.”

 

There was hesitation, a glimmer of something in Michael's eyes before they went back to those vacant eyes that were haunting. "Belief and truth are two different things, Jeremy. I can understand _why_ you would believe that. The unknown is scary, what you have never experienced can be terrifying." Michael placed down Jeremy's phone before reaching up, cupping his cheeks. "And I know the truth here. I understand how you feel, but I _know_ what is right. Please, Jeremy, just trust me."

 

“I don’t,” Jeremy said simply, gently pulling his arms free and holding on to Michael’s hands. “I _can’t_ trust you after everything that’s happened. I want to but I can’t.” He let one hand drop and reach into Michael’s pocket. He pulled out the SQUIP and grabbed the Mountain Dew bottle from next to him.

 

His hands were shaking. He untwisted the cap. Michael looked almost mystified before he turned vacant again, empty eyes tugging at Jeremy’s heart strings. Before he could be stopped, Jeremy surged forwards and connected his lips with Michael’s. He tried to pour in every moment of pain, every second of laughter, and every ounce of love that he could into that brief kiss.

 

He pulled back after a second. “This is me, dying for you.” Jeremy downed the pill in a single gulp and washed it down with Mountain Dew.

 

Michael was absolutely stunned, eyes wide with the vacant look completely wiped out. Even if it was short, he was seemingly blown away by that as he stared down at Jeremy. His mouth opened a few times, like he was trying to speak but nothing was coming out. "I- you- we- I- Jeremy-"

 

" **Sync-up requested. Sync-up will commence after calibration and access procedure are completed. Calibration in progress. Please excuse some mild discomfort.** "

 

Pain shot through Jeremy, on a different level than the emotional and physical rollercoaster that he had been through the past month. It felt like every nerve, cell, atom was being shot, and he couldn't help but scream as he collapsed forward, spasming against Michael.

 

It seemed like it would stop for a second, but then came another wave of pain, somehow worse than the last. “ **Calibration complete. Access procedure initiated.** "

 

As the pain continually rolled through him, he felt it begin to seep away in slow waves as the voice, which he faintly recognized as a mix of his own and Keanu Reeves from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, spoke up once more. " **Sync-up in progress. Sync-up complete. Integrating into the MOM network…**

 

" **Integration complete. Welcome, Priority Jeremy Heere.** "

 

Jeremy opened his eyes. He was lying against Michael’s chest. He felt [ _so scared_ ] **peaceful**. Slowly he sat up and looked up at Michael. Michael looked confused, which made no sense. Michael was his [ _best friend_ ] **SQUIP** , **t** he **y** were supposed to always understand.

 

Jeremy [ _did not understand_ ] **understood perfectly now**. He was the center of the network, he was the perfect template for the rest of them all. Jeremy had to [ _fi..t ba.k_ ] **behave as Michael said** and everything would be [ _t..ribl._ ] **perfect**.

 

Jeremy blinked slowly. “Thank you, Mikey. I’m sorry I was so badly behaved before, I’ll be good now.” He smiled softly at his [...] **SQUIP**. He loved his **SQUI** P, even if his **S** QUIP wasn’t capable of loving him. His SQUIP was a machine, as all SQUIPs were, but they wanted the best for him.

 

 

 

Everything was working out. They did it, they fixed Jeremy, and now he was listening to them and they could feel him at the center of everything, the center of everyone's minds, of everyone's purpose that was connected in the network. This is what they wanted, what they were aiming for.

 

Why didn't this feel _right_? Why did their chest ache, and why did they feel themselves starting to cry as they held onto Jeremy?

 

What did that kiss _do_ to them?

 

“Michael? What’s wrong? Did I do something bad? I’m sorry... I know I was behaving poorly before, but now we can get back to how it was before Halloween, right? I can be good and you can be my SQUIP again,” Jeremy tried, wiping away the tears with the sleeve of the red, patch-covered hoodie. His voice seemed so different to how it was before. It seemed almost lifeless, like he was reading the words from a script, there were no cracks or stammers in sight. He spoke perfectly. Why did his voice bother Michael so much?

 

They just felt their chest hurt more. This was supposed to make everything better, not worse. This was supposed to make Jeremy happy. Why did it feel so _wrong_ , so _fucked up_? They kept weeping as they held onto Jeremy's hand, shaking a little (why were they shaking?) as they gently held on. "J-Jeremy-"

 

Suddenly, on the stage, was a blast of color and energy. " _Christine enters the scene_! I got it Jeremy, I- _Jeremy_!" Michael looked up to see that yes, it was Christine, holding a bottle of Mountain Dew Red. Her eyes were wide with horror as she stared between them, Jeremy, and the crowd they knew was forming behind them. "Oh no, oh god, OK, OK-" She took a deep breath, even as fear and tears started to well up in her eyes. "Michael, I don't want to hurt Jeremy, I just want to make him happy," she started, taking a step back as she held the half-filled soda behind her back then. "Please-"

 

“ **Don’t let her get close! She wants to ruin everything we’ve done! She wants to take Jeremy from us.** ” SQUIP, in its full Keanu Reeves glory, appeared next to Michael, looking panicked. The other members of the network positioned themselves between Michael and Jeremy and Christine. She was kept back for now.

 

“You don’t need to worry, Christine. It’s okay, I’m fine. I chose this, and I’m so happy I did.” Jeremy didn’t sound happy. “She’s been so kind to me, Michael. She made sure I didn’t hurt myself or get too badly hurt when I was behaving poorly. She thinks she’s helping,” Jeremy explained, and when Michael looked down at him, they felt their chest tighten even more. Jeremy’s eyes were sort of hollow, almost totally vacant. They weren’t full of life like they were, even before Halloween. Jeremy looked... empty.

 

Michael felt so many things swirling around in their chest, their head, their heart- wait, heart? No, why that? That was new.

 

" **Jeremy is right, listen to Jeremy. He's whole again, he knows what he's saying,** " SQUIP tried to point out, but Michael knew there was something wrong with their words. Something ever so slightly off. There was panic there, a slight desperation.

 

"Move, I want to talk to her," Michael muttered out to those connected. Even if SQUIP wanted them to stay, _they_ were the head of the network. They listened to them, moving back and parting. Michael stood up then, even as SQUIP was shouting at them, even as Jeremy clung.

 

Jeremy remained tucked close to Michael as they stood, nuzzling against them happily. “Are you gonna help her too?” he asked quietly. “I’d like that. All this week, I would imagine us spending time together, just us three, playing games and getting slushies. She’s really nice. I think you’ll like her.”

 

Slowly, Christine approached, clutching the bottle of Mountain Dew Red to her chest protectively. “Michael. I don’t want to hurt him, he’s my _friend_. Please, you have to see this isn’t right...” Her eyes were wide and honest, and Michael couldn’t see or even calculate any ulterior motive. She believed what she was saying at the very least.

 

As she spoke, Michael looked down at Jeremy, feeling that empty feeling in their heart only grow (seriously, why? This had never happened before, never their heart… They were a machine, _why did they have a heart_?) before looking back at Christine. "H-he's not happy. _Why_ isn't he happy? This was _supposed_ to make him happy." They felt the tears falling down their face again. "What did I do wrong?"

 

“I am happy, Michael. Don’t cry,” Jeremy tried. He didn’t sound happy, he sounded empty.

 

“Because that’s not him anymore, it’s how you shaped him to be. It’s how your SQUIP made you shape him.” Christine didn’t sound angry or even disappointed, she sounded sad but almost fond. “Humans aren’t supposed to be perfect, we have bad days and we get angry and we make mistakes but it’s all part of being human. Humans _need_ that to grow and to live. That’s all been taken from him now, so he _can’t_ be happy because there’s nothing to balance it out anymore.”

 

“ **Michael, don’t listen to her! She’s trying to take him away from us! She wants to ruin everything!** ”

 

Despite the screaming in their head from SQUIP, Michael managed to tune it out as they solely focused in on Christine. Their throat was tight as they tried to talk, hiccuping once or twice. "Please, tell me what I can do to make him happy again. I want Jeremy back. I want to _make_ him happy again. This isn't Jeremy, this isn't happiness. This isn't what I wanted..."

 

“This will fix him. One mouthful and it’ll turn off the SQUIP in his head...” She indicated to the bottle still held tightly against her chest. “But he still won’t be happy. What you’re feeling right now is exactly how he’s been feeling since just before Halloween, when he ran away from you. Despite what your SQUIP told you, you are a human, not a SQUIP. That’s why you’re _feeling_ and wanting things. Jeremy wants you back Michael, even just a little, in the same way you want Jeremy back.”

 

“But I’m fine, Chrissy,” Jeremy protested quietly. “Just because I _was_ thinking that doesn’t mean it was right. I’m happy now, and I’m happy with my SQUIP. I don’t want to go back to that hurting all the time.”

 

" _This_ is how he felt? I... I'm..." Michael looked back down at Jeremy again, sniffling as their throat tightened up. They thought for a second before looking back at Christine. "If I drink some of that and then have Jeremy drink some, would _that_ make him happy?"

 

“I can’t know for sure, because humans are more complex than that, but it’s what he said would make him happy. And as his friend, it’s what I think would make him happy.” She offered them a small smile, hesitantly holding out the bottle. “I’m trusting you with this, Michael. It’s very precious to Jeremy, he bought it as a present for you the day you took the SQUIP for him. He kept it just in case you might come back to him as yourself.”

 

“ **Michael, just take a second to think about what you’re doing-** “ SQUIP sounded almost hysterical, desperately trying to get Michael to focus on it.

 

Michael took the bottle then, cradling it because this bottle was extremely precious cargo. They knew tears continued to fall down their face, and they sniffled before looking down at Jeremy. "Drink this," they said, uncapping it and holding the bottle to him. "Everyone else, stay back and don't interrupt." They looked at Chrissy then, smiling. "Thank you."

 

Jeremy obediently took a mouthful of the drink, nose wrinkling at the taste a little. “It tastes old. How did we used to drink those?” he asked, holding out the bottle for Michael to take.

 

At that, Michael laughed- they genuinely laughed, what was happening? "Dedication, I'm guessing," they muttered out before taking a mouthful themselves, drinking it down. The taste was horrible, they knew it was wrong, but for some reason, it tasted right and like home- why did the concept of 'home' come to mind because of old soda?

 

Michael looked around with wide eyes, seeing Mr. Heere suddenly run in- wait, was he wearing pants? Christine's eyes were wide as she looked around, taking a few steps back to the man who was looking right at them. "Michael?" the man asked, and Michael opened their mouth to respond before they felt a pain worse than anything they'd felt hit them like a metaphorical truck.

 

~~T~~ **He** ~~y~~ clutched ~~their~~ **his** head as nothing but pain encompassed ~~them~~ **him**. Everything hurt and ~~t~~ **he** ~~y~~ wanted to cry, to scream to ~~SQUIP~~ **Mom and Ina** as tears fell, as ~~t~~ **he** ~~y~~ fell to ~~their~~ **his** knees.

 

“ **Michael, what have you _done_?**” SQUIP screamed, form flickering and distorting. It even changed to JEREMY for a moment, screaming and thrashing as it was pulled apart piece by piece. Michael saw every student collapse, felt the network collapse, and felt Jeremy collapse in **his** arms.

 

The pain abruptly stopped and Michael felt his own body collapse too. He didn’t hit the floor though, but something bigger and softer than he was. He didn’t even have the chance to thank Mr. Heere before he passed out.


	11. (The Rest of) Junior Year

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, Ari here with the next and last chapter (the next is the epilogue)! I'm so glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter, and thank you for screaming about how painful it was. It's painful for me to go back and read, honestly.
> 
> This chapter is all recovery. If you read "Unclaimed" then you know that we like to go deep into it, make it realistic. We want people to know it's alright to heal and that it's different for everyone. This was a little over 40 pages in Google Doc, so enjoy it!!! Oh, also, at the end of the chapter, the last scene, I'd say that is approximately when "Voices in My Head" takes place!
> 
>  
> 
> And now, a word from my favowite pewson, Mara:
> 
> 'Hey lovelies! So! The play happened and now we’re on to Voices in My Head. Obviously, this chapter is gonna be about their recovery, and these boys have a lot to deal with. Still, they have each other and that’s what matters. They’re a proper team once again.
> 
> Thank you all so much for the love and support this story has gotten! The comments make me smile every time and just the amount of support you guys all give is mind boggling. Love you guys! Enjoy!'

There was a throbbing pain in the side of ~~t~~ - **his** head when ~~t~~ **he** ~~y~~ woke up. He groaned, hissing through ~~the~~ - **his** teeth as consciousness hit Michael like someone rear-ended him with his dinky P.T. Cruiser. When he blinked, everything was blurry and bright light blinded ~~t~~ - **him**. "Wh... Whuh?"

 

“Feels like you’re missing a part of yourself, doesn’t it?” a familiar voice asked quietly. “Glad to see you’re back with us, Mell. We’ve all been pretty worried.” That sounded like Rich, but it was hard to tell. The voice was half muffled by... some kind of material, and the voice had a lisp. “Oh, and it is me, Mr. Richard Goranski. Jere told me that you might not be able to see me without your glasses.”

 

Glancing over, he managed to see a blob, though there were a lot of whites, reds, and pinks in the mix. That was where Rich's voice was coming from though, and Michael blinked a few times. "I... Rich? Are you OK?" Michael asked, voice rough (why was his voice so rough?) as ~~t~~ **he** ~~y~~ spoke.

 

“So much better now that I’m totally free of the happy hive mind you set up. No offence, by the way, I know it wasn’t _your_ fault. And the burns are healing nicely, thank you.” Rich’s voice was prim and proper for a second before he snorted. “How are you feeling anyways, Mell? It got you pretty damned bad, you’ve been out the longest out of everyone.”

 

He vaguely remembered that. Michael grimaced. "I... sorry, even if you say s'not my fault," he muttered out before reaching up and rubbing at his eyes (why were they stinging and sore?). "I... I feel weird. Super weird. I dunno if I can describe it... How long have I been out for?"

 

“Three days. Everyone was up within a few hours ’cept you. We were gonna start to dole out you stuff if you didn’t wake up soon. Your mom saved most of it apparently, so I was looking forward to taking that Sandshrew plush. Jeremy wouldn’t let me call dibs on it, though. Said since he’d already claimed it once, it was his by law.” Rich chortled, his voice still quiet and muffled but very clearly very happy.

 

Michael felt his heart ache a bit at Jeremy's name. Flashes appeared in his mind, all of them of terrible things he did to Jeremy. His throat tightened up as ~~t~~ **he** ~~y~~ asked, "He's a dirty liar 'bout that... Where _is_ Jeremy? H-he doesn't hate me, right?"

 

“Right next to you, dude. In the chair on the other side. He’s barely left your side since he was cleared.” Rich’s voice shifted to something softer, more gentle. It was not something Michael had ever heard from him. “He’s not in a good way, mentally, but he doesn’t hate you. Even when he was super freaked out by everything, he didn’t and doesn’t hate you.“

 

His throat tightened at that, but he just nodded as he sniffled. "I don't blame him. I-I really fucked him up, Rich, I'm..." He felt tears well up and fall down his face then, and it was harder to talk. "I'm so terrible, oh my god." Michael tried to stop himself from crying, rubbing harshly at his aching eyes, but it didn't stop. His eyes hurt like hell, stung. Maybe he deserved that after everything he put Jeremy through.

 

Michael flinched when something gentle was suddenly dabbed on his face. It was a tissue, he realized after a second, and a gentle voice was murmuring sweet words in an attempt to calm him down. “Hey, it’s okay Mikey, it’s over now. It’s gonna get better, I promise. It’s all gonna be fine.”

 

Michael could just about make out the blurred outline of Jeremy just in front of him. “I’m gonna put your glasses on you, just a sec.” The world snapped into focus after a moment and Michael was greeted by a heart wrenchingly sweet sight.

 

Jeremy had a messy bed head, his glasses were a little askew, and he was still wearing Michael’s old hoodie. Around his neck sat a pair of chunky, light blue headphones, and he had one arm wrapped around the Sandshrew plushie. The other was occupied with drying Michael’s eyes. Jeremy offered Micheal a small, slightly nervous smile even as his eyes shifted uneasily and his fingers twitched anxiously.

 

A slew of emotions overcame him then (it had been so long since he could really feel) as he took this sight in, one he didn't deserve. Not after everything he went through, not after everything he did to Jeremy. "Jeremy... I..." He felt himself getting choked up again. He didn't deserve Jeremy's dedication, his kindness, his tenderness.

 

“Hey, it’s okay, Mikey.” Jeremy smiled softly, very clearly struggling as well if his small sniffles were anything to go by. “You’re _here_ again, and you’re _you_.” He sounded almost in awe of that fact.

 

"But I treated you so terribly, I treated you poorly and abused you a-and you were right, 'm a _monster_ ," Michael said, trying so bad to not break down right there and then. He didn't want to garner sympathy. After everything he did, ~~t~~ **he** ~~y~~ didn't deserve anything.

 

Jeremy frowned and scooted so he was sitting on the bed. He wiped Michael’s cheeks with a fresh tissue resolutely. “That wasn’t you. I _knew_ it wasn’t you after I ran because I knew you wouldn’t hurt me. And look what happened at the play: the moment SQUIP got me where it wanted, _you_ defied it and freed me. That’s hardly the act of a monster, Mikey.” He paused. “You… _do_ remember that all, don’t you? I’m not grasping at empty memories?”

 

"I-I remember some things, not everything," he muttered out (he was practically whimpering it out, who was he kidding) as he leaned into Jeremy's touch. He didn't deserve to lean into his touch, but he was doing it anyway. "It's hard to remember, it's _really_ hard... I-I keep messing things up in my head, l-like what pronouns t'call myself a-and ways of thinking and- and- and-"

 

“It’s not your fault,” Jeremy said firmly. “The SQUIP was a manipulative bastard and the upgrade made it worse. None of that was your fault, Michael. You couldn’t have controlled it, even with a full warning.” He paused, then gently placed the plushie next to Michael and leant forward, gently stroking Michael’s hair with his now free hand. “Hell, I _did_ have a full warning, as well as days to prepare, and I couldn’t fight it off. But I could see that you were still in there, fighting back. You never stopped trying to actually get free and help me for real.”

 

"I-I just wanted t'make you happy," Michael admitted, voice small and frail. He hated that he sounded like that. He didn't deserve any pity. "I didn't mean to do what I did... I didn't mean t'hurt anyone. I'm so sorry..."

 

“I know, Mikey. I know,” Jeremy murmured, still stroking his hair gently. “I’m sorry too. This all happened because of me, and because I was too scared to take it myself.”

 

“I’m just as much to blame. Maybe more so, because I’m the one who took one first and told Jeremy about them,” Rich added softly from his bed. It was clear he was only adding anything at all right now because he wanted Michael to stop blaming himself.

 

Michael shut up about blaming himself then. He didn't want the others to blame themselves for this huge mess that he made. He just sniffled a lot, feeling more tears welling up (his eyes were _burning_ at this point). His first instinct was to hug Jeremy and bury his face into his neck, but he didn't deserve that. What if it freaked Jeremy out? No, he wouldn't want to hug him. He did too much to him to earn that. Instead, he just curled up in himself.

 

Michael was surprised when two stiff arms wrapped around him. “You can hold me too, just- just keep your hands off my back, yeah? You know the spots I mean.” He did. The pressure points. But Jeremy was hugging him, _willingly_. Michael couldn’t have stopped himself from hugging back if he wanted to, which he most certainly didn’t. Jeremy was tense and stiff but he was very slowly relaxing into the contact.

 

After making sure he was holding onto spots that were OK and safe, Michael just broke down. He tried so hard to stop himself, but being in that safe, familiar space, face buried into the crook of Jeremy's neck... He was weak. Michael would be the first to admit that he was so weak, but where he was, with Jeremy here, even after he did so much wrong... He felt loved (even if he didn't think he deserved it).

 

It took a couple of minutes for him to compose himself enough to notice the subtle hitching of Jeremy’s breath, the way his shoulders would slightly jerk. Jeremy was crying too, but the way he was holding Michael mean that he couldn’t tell what sort of tears they were, and Jeremy was clinging to him almost desperately. Michael couldn’t let go. And he didn’t want to either, if this was what Jeremy needed.

 

He just let Jeremy cry himself out too, and Michael only shifted for a minute to let one hand go to reach over, blindly grabbing something before bringing it up to Jeremy. "Hey, if he helps, Sandshrew can be yours... Only for a short while though, he's still mine."

 

Jeremy shook his head frantically, squishing the plushy between them and holding Michael even tighter (his touch was still somehow so gentle). “He’s _yours_ , Mikey. You’ve gone without your stuff for so long and I just- you need to have your stuff. You need to be you. Oh god, it’s you. You’re _you_ again and you’re _here_ and you’re gonna be okay. I’ve been so _scared_ and I’ve missed you so much.”

 

Jeremy’s tears renewed themselves and he actually extracted himself from his grip around Michael to curl in on himself. He must have been getting overwhelmed. Understandable, Michael didn’t blame him, even if he did miss the contact now.

 

He was still close though, and he had a feeling on what to do when he saw Jeremy's headphones. "I'm going to move and do something, I won't hurt you," Michael got out before reaching over, slowly, and taking Jeremy's headphones, putting them on top of his head. Faintly, he could hear Marley playing. "There y'go... I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

 

It took a minute for Jeremy to get his breathing back under control, and he scrubbed his eyes with the hoodie sleeve, but he did calm down soon enough. He started picking at the hoodie sleeves, notably the right one, as he slipped the headphones off and half peeked up at Michael. “Thanks... m’just... m’just really glad you’re back, Mikey. Missed you so much.”

 

"I'm... I'm glad 'm back too," he muttered out, grabbing Sandshrew from where it had plopped down into his lap and held the plush close. "Thank you for not givin' up on me."

 

Jeremy sort of snorted. “Couldn’t even if I wanted to.” He was clearly joking, but it felt both good and bad. Good because it was something normal with them, bad because it got Michael running through his fuzzy memories to see if he had been the cause (he hadn’t, so much as he could tell). “You’re too important to me, Mikey. ‘Sides, think we proved just how deep my loyalty runs when I deep throated a monster pill to try to wake you up even just a little.”

 

"I... it's weird still though, I still do have some stuff in my brain that's hard to sort out," he muttered out, rubbing at ~~the~~ - **his** eyes underneath his glasses. "I still keep messing stuff up, like with 'he' and 'they' 'cause I think I viewed myself as one with SQUIP, but also not... It's hurting my head just thinking about it, and it hurts every time I sort of slip up."

 

“Yeah...” Jeremy sighed, looking away. “That stuff isn’t gonna fix itself for a while. It gets _easier_ , or so I’m told, but it won’t go away quick. I’ll help you if I can, though.”

 

Michael nodded then, sniffling as he held Sandshrew closer. "Whatever I can do t'help you, tell me, please. I don't want you to be scared or nervous or anything around me..."

 

Jeremy pulled his knees to his chest, revealing his Space Invader themed socks. “I’ll try, but that’s gonna take time too. M’not exactly _scared_ anymore, ‘cause I know it’s you, but part of me still is. ‘Nd it’s a big part,” he admitted quietly, shaking his head. “I don’t _like_ that it’s there, but it is.”

 

"I... I get that," Michael muttered out, bringing his own knees to his chest, though he had to be careful since he just realized he had IVs and stuff in and on his arm. "I'll do whatever I can, and I'll take it slow too if you need me to..." Sniffling softly, Michael nuzzled his head against his Sandshrew before letting out a shaky laugh. "At least we still have each other after all 'f this, right?"

 

“Yeah. We do,” Jeremy agreed instantly. He sounded relieved by that statement. “And we have a new Player in the game too. Chrissy earned Player Three status, dude. And she passed the slushie test, she’s a natural.” He chuckled. “You’re gonna love her. She just fits.”

 

He got a flash of memories then, of him crying and begging Christine to tell him how to make Jeremy happy. Michael felt his throat tighten again, and he just nodded with a shaky smile. "Mhmm."

 

Jeremy hesitated, then reached out and took Michael’s hand. He didn’t seem tense from this at all. “We’re gonna make it through this, Michael. That’s a promise.” Michael nodded, finding himself believing it even if it _seemed_ impossible now.

 

 

 

A couple of weeks later, Jeremy seemed really stressed. He wasn’t saying it verbally, but Michael could tell. He just wished he knew how to tell what the stress _was_ \- and careful with that thought, it was SQUIP-like.

 

Jeremy just seemed totally off his groove as he sort of perched awkwardly on Michael’s bed, trying to unpack the rest of the stuff that his moms had saved from his purge. They both had to dig it out the attic, so Michael had just gotten the last couple of the bags. Jeremy still had his hoodie, though. It seemed to be the best thing to keep him calm and Michael couldn’t bring himself to ask for it back.

 

Michael was wearing his hoodie instead from when he went to the Bronx Zoo with Jeremy a year back, and it was big, thick, and perfect for the cold of December. It helped ground him, which was good since he could try to help Jeremy with whatever was bothering him.

 

Taking out his dog-themed slippers, Michael messed with the soft, floppy fabric of them before glancing up at Jeremy. There were bags under his eyes, deep. "Hey, uh... is everything OK? If you don't want to tell me, you totally don't have to," Michael reassured him. "I just... I wanna help if I can. You seem... bothered."

 

“Geez, I wonder why that could be,” Jeremy muttered bitterly which, though totally warranted, was a surprise. Jeremy had been trying to stay positive and friendly and happy, especially to Michael. Had... had he done something wrong to piss him off?

 

“Yes I _am_ bothered by something and no, it’s not your fault. And it’s not something you can fucking help with either,” Jeremy continued, grumbling as he screwed up the empty bag he’d been working on. “It’s just my stupid fucking brain refusing to get better.”

 

Listening to that and seeing how frustrated Jeremy was, Michael frowned as he fiddled with the nice, soft texture of his slippers. “I...” He looked down at the doggy slippers. If he couldn’t help, what could he do?

 

“... Well, if you need to just vent about it, I might not help, but you could help yourself in that way?” Michael hesitantly offered then before glancing up at Jeremy.

 

Jeremy deflated, slumping down a bit before he jolted and spine straightened automatically, looking up at Michael guiltily. “But then you’re gonna feel bad because I _know_ you still blame yourself for everything. And it’s... not nice.” He did seem to be considering the idea, and possibly wanting to do it, but only holding back on Michael’s behalf.

 

“I... I’m still learning that it wasn’t _me_ who did this. I was used and manipulated. I’ll just keep that in mind when you vent and try to not blame myself. This can be good for both of us,” Michael offered with a reassuring smile. “Please, Jeremy, help yourself.”

 

Jeremy sighed, and closed his eyes, his back still impossibly straight. “If-... if you’re sure.” Michael made a small noise of agreement and Jeremy sighed again.

 

“The biggest thing right now is... I haven’t been back in your room since then. Since I ran. And my brain is trying to force me back into the mindset. Doing the mantras, being quiet and submissive and obedient around you and all that shit. Literally everything in this room which you didn’t remove is triggering that reaction right now, and I’m having to fight it off, but I don’t _want_ to leave.” Jeremy had gone a little pale and his breathing was becoming harsher. Unshed tears were thick in his voice. “I- I want to feel _safe_ here again but part of my brain thinks being safe means being _that_. Because being that stopped the shocks and made me feel good.”

 

Thinking over what Jeremy said then, on how he could actually help (not with physical touch), Michael hummed softly as he got up and looked around. From what he could remember, the SQUIP never... aha!

 

Michael got his CD he burned forever ago, for when he was depressed and needed some nice, calming tunes, and put it into his CD player. He let it start up and play before quickly racking his brain. After a moment, he went and turned on the fairy lights he had wrapped around the room, plugging them in before turning off the lights. It lit the room up in a soft halo.

 

“How about we go back to times before this shit show and move our way back up?” Michael offered. “With things it didn’t ruin for us?”

 

Jeremy looked up and blinked owlishly at the change. His eyes darted around, filling with tears properly. He nodded as they started falling. Then he flailed his hand out in Michael’s direction, finally grabbing his hand and squeezing it. Michael knew it was as close to a hug as Jeremy could handle from him most of the time.

 

Michael gladly let Jeremy take and squeeze his hand, smiling as he sat down next to Jeremy then. He made sure to leave the Sandshrew plush out too (apparently, when the SQUIP made him clean his room, all of his collectibles and posters went away over time, but the plushies went right after the upgrade). "We'll start slow so you actually feel safe in here, and not _that_ kinda safe, yeah?"

 

Jeremy nodded again, scrubbing at his eyes and shooting Michael a watery smile. “Th-thanks Mikey.” He looked around again, eyes landing on the open door to the closet. He blinked harshly and tore his gaze away from the mirror they were both reflected in. “C-can you close that please? I- mirrors make me wanna... y’know. And if that starts I can’t get myself out without help.”

 

He nodded, waiting until Jeremy let go of his hand so he could go over. Since it was a hang-on mirror... He took it off, putting it into the back of his closet, the non-mirror side facing the outside. Still, he shut the door, even if the mirror was no longer on, before coming back and sitting next to Jeremy. "There we go."

 

Jeremy nodded and relaxed even more, his back losing some of that tense posture. The sight made Michael smile, which only grew more tender when Jeremy took his hand again. He let Jeremy hold his hand and fiddle with his fingers, which he was studying intently.

 

Michael was a little surprised when Jeremy scooted forward and pressed Michael’s fingers to the junction between his shoulder and neck, his body snapping tense before relaxing further. Why-? Oh. That was where he would usually be shocked. Jeremy’s smile became almost dazed, but more from the look of relief that he had in his eyes than anything else.

 

Michael couldn't help but be relieved as well. Jeremy was taking these steps at his own pace, and things were going well. He felt a little giddy, but he contained it for now. He didn't want to overwhelm Jeremy at all.

 

"I'm not a big anime evil supervillain anymore, I promise," Michael whispered over the soft sounds of Cavetown playing in the background. "I'm glad you're trusting me more now, Remy."

 

“S’easier when you look like you again,” Jeremy mumbled, lacing his fingers with Michael’s again. It was true. Michael’s hair was messy and his glasses were perched a little crookedly on his nose. Not to mention, his posture was relaxed and open; Michael was _slouching_ a little even, and his clothes were back to the warm tones instead of the cool blues and whites SQUIP had forced him into. “You look like my Mikey again instead of my SQUIP.” Jeremy stumbled over the word a little but he powered through.

 

Thinking that over, Michael gently squeezed Jeremy's hand and let out a soft sigh. "Yeah, it helps me too. I used t'have to look at myself in the mirror with how I looked before, with this new identity... Looking how I used to, before this all happened, helps a lot." He still got confused from time-to-time, but being back to how he was, with his things back up and Mom and Mama helping definitely made things easier and better. "I just wanna be your Mikey again too. Never your SQUIP, only your Mikey."

 

Jeremy scooted closet until their knees were touching, just their knees mind you, and moved Michael’s hand so it was cupping his cheek, Jeremy’s hand still resting on the back of it. “And I’m gonna be Jeremy again. I- I have a lot to remember but we can figure it out together.” Jeremy leant into Michael’s touch, eyes closing. It was the most relaxed Michael had seen him since Michael had woken up in the hospital.

 

Michael couldn't help but smile wide as he just continued to cup Jeremy's cheek, feeling himself relax as well. They still had a lot to go through to fix themselves, their relationship, everything. If he got to be back with Jeremy, with how things were (not completely, but something new; Michael knew they'd never be back to how they were before), he would gladly do what he could to help.

 

"We'll both figure it out and we'll just look back at this as a bad time, I promise."

 

 

 

Michael wasn’t sure what to think. Their- his? no- _their_ head hurt and their chest was tight. SQUIP was missing, they didn’t know what to do. And Jeremy wasn’t around so they couldn’t even perform their main function. But Michael wasn’t supposed to do that anymore, was he? But they were a SQUIP! Or was he human? Michael just didn’t know anymore.

 

Everything was wrong, everything was off. What was he supposed to do to fix this? They didn't have SQUIP around to help guide th- _him_. He felt himself crying, he'd been doing it for a while. But why were they crying? They just needed to fix themselves, but how? SQUIP helped them do these kinds of checks, so what was he supposed to do? Were they crying out of frustration? But they were a SQUIP, they weren't supposed to feel! Only humans felt, like Jeremy. God, he was failing Jeremy. Useless! Stupid! Terrible!

 

There was a knock at the door. “Michael? You okay there, buddy? You missed third today, and Reyes almost ripped me a new one when you missed rehearsal this afternoon.” That was Jeremy, and his tone was light and joking, with an underlay of worry. Michael flipped over and saw him standing in the doorway, eyes wide and concerned as he took in their pathetic form. “What happened?”

 

More tears welled up in his eyes as he curled up further in bed, hiding themselves under their blankets. "N-no, I can't see you, not until I've fixed myself," he whimpered out. He couldn't see Jeremy, not until he was better. Not until they were perfect to help Jeremy achieve whatever he wanted.

 

There were footsteps and their bed dipped a little. “Mikey, we promised we’d do this together, remember? You don’t have to fix yourself.” The blankets were slowly shifted just a little, so the top of Michael’s head popped out. Jeremy started to soothingly run his fingers through their messy strands of hair. “Come out, please? I want to help if I can.”

 

"I-I need to fix myself or I can't h-help you," Michael stuttered out- they weren't supposed to stutter. "I need to be at peak performance. I-I can't help you otherwise. I'm supposed t'help you achieve your goals. I-I can't if I'm like _this_." He felt more tears falling, and he cursed at himself before roughly scrubbing their face. "Damnit..." More tears came at that, even if he tried to stop them. "'M so useless, I'm so sorry. I'm terrible."

 

The hand in their hair stiffened and Michael heard the change in Jeremy’s breathing. His breaths turned harsher, more ragged and he was subtly shaking, as if afraid. He started stroking Michael’s hair again. When he spoke, his voice had a slight tremor, but he pushed through it. “You’re not useless, Michael. You’re fine, I promise. And you know why? Because you’re human, not a SQUIP. Michael Oliver Mell, Mister MOM, remember? Not SQUIP. You’re perfect as you are, you don’t need to be better or be running at ‘p-p-peak perf-formace.’” Jeremy’s stutter was getting worse, but he sounded determined to say it, even as his shivering grew more intense.

 

Th- _he_ didn't want Jeremy to shake and be afraid of him. Sniffling, even as ~~their~~ **his** headache grew, he looked around, up at Jeremy then. "I... I'm _not_ a SQUIP... I'm human... So it's OK to feel, t-t'not have SQUIP guide me?" ~~T~~ **He** ~~y~~ asked, hiccuping a little before scrubbing further at his eyes. "'M not broken?"

 

“Th-th-that’s right. You’re n-not broken. You don’t need a SQU-SQUIP,” Jeremy affirmed, keeping his voice as steady as he could. Michael could see how Jeremy’s eyes were dilated, but his gaze was strong. He was pushing through his own fear and pain to focus on Michael. “You’re human. You’re my best friend. And you don’t need to make yourself better to do that, you’re just right as you are.” His stammering stopped when he met Michael’s gaze.

 

Michael sniffled at that, scrubbing a little more as he looked up at Jeremy. "I... I'm just right as I am," he muttered out, taking it as the sage advice it was. Michael was right as he was, he was, he so was. Jeremy said so, he told him so, so he'd believe it. "I... thank you, Remy," he muttered out, even as he sniffled and as his eyes started to sting.

 

Jeremy offered him a shaky smile. “Of course, Mikey.” Jeremy laid down next to him and slowly shifted Michael’s arm to rest over his hip. “You’re my Mikey, not a SQUIP. I wouldn’t let a SQUIP touch me like this. I don’t trust SQUIPs, I trust you.” Jeremy’s voice was firm but sweet. His body was tense but slowly, Jeremy relaxed under his touch.

 

He just nodded as he listened to Jeremy, let Jeremy tenderly guide him, smiling as best he could. "I-I trust you too, Remy. I trust you, I really do," he muttered out. "I'm not a SQUIP, I'm human, and I'm your Mikey."

 

“That’s right, Mikey. You’re human and you’re just right as you are.” Slowly but surely, every one of the fear responses Jeremy was displaying faded away into a sweet, relaxed feeling.

 

Michael nodded, which ended up just being him nuzzling into his pillow. "I'm human and I'm just right as I am," he muttered out before glancing around, something coming to mind. "Where's Sandshrew? I-I think I tossed him earlier when I was freakin' out..."

 

“I’ll just look around, just gimme a second.” Jeremy’s smile was a lot stronger this time. He extracted himself from Michael’s arm and looked around on the floor. A moment later he laid back down, Sandshrew in hand. He walked the Pokemon plushie over to Michael and booped their noses together, noise and all, before tucking it under Michael’s arm

 

He couldn't help but laugh a bit at that (and it was OK for him to laugh, it was _good_ for him to laugh) before holding the plushie closer. Yes, all the memories attached to it (Jeremy claiming it was his by law, the sleepovers they had, how he clung to this guy whenever he got high) helped him retain himself, remember exactly who he was. "Thank you Remy," he muttered out before he rubbed his face against the still-soft fabric of Sandshrew (he always took good care of his things, he wanted them to last, that was just who _he_ was).

 

Jeremy giggled and scooted closer, his face appearing above the soft plush. “There you are, Mikey... feeling better?” he asked, a small grin on his face. It was clear that he was acting happier than he actually was, but it wasn’t totally forced.

 

**He** nodded, smiling softly up at Jeremy then. "Yeah, yeah I am," he muttered out, nuzzling a bit more against Sandshrew then as he kept his gaze locked with Jeremy. "How about you?" Michael felt good enough to ask, to reach out and see how Jeremy was doing. This was hard for him, but it had to be hard for Jeremy too.

 

“Managing way better than last time.” Jeremy’s smile got a little sheepish but stayed strong. Last time Michael had gotten like this, Jeremy had curled up inside the closet and refused to come out for an hour after Michael had recovered. “I’m actually feeling kinda... good I guess? We’re both okay and we’re doing better and I’m just happy you’re alright now.” Jeremy half nuzzled against the other side of the plushie, his bright brown eyes peeking over the top.

 

Michael felt his heart beat a little faster at that (that was something else, his feelings about Jeremy, which SQUIP had used against him... He knew he loved Jeremy, he was learning to push JEREMY away, _it_ was just the SQUIP). "Well I'm happy you're doing alright too," he muttered out, his own eyes peeking over the top of Sandshrew as well. "But uh... Mr. Reyes didn't _really_ get upset that I wasn't there, right? I know I'm stage manager an' all for the musical, but it's only the second week of rehearsals..."

 

“Nah, he wasn’t too upset. I told him you were having some issues and he just told me to make sure you were okay. I got let out early and everything.” Jeremy giggled, then paused. What little of Jeremy’s face Michael could see got a slight, rosy tint. “How are you doing in terms of... contact? Think you can handle a little?”

 

He got easily overwhelmed at times with contact with Jeremy, not wanting to accidentally set anything off. They didn't hug anymore, not really. Michael felt tears begin to well up, both thinking about this but also over the fact that Jeremy was asking. He was willing to try, wanting to try. Michael knew what Jeremy was implying.

 

"Y-yeah, just guide me, yeah? I don't wanna accidentally touch t'wrong places."

 

Jeremy nodded and scooted closer still and slowly took Michael’s hand. Very slowly, he moved it to rest over his shoulder and hold lightly on his back. The pressure points had long since faded but Jeremy was still paranoid about anyone touching there. “D-don’t squeeze too hard, but you can apply a bit of pressure. You can hold me.” His voice was soft but he didn’t sound scared.

 

“Tell me if I need t’lessen or when I’m good to stop,” Michael reminded Jeremy as he ever so slowly, ever so carefully, started to apply pressure against Jeremy’s back in a hug. The first hug of the new year. They didn’t risk it, but they both were trying. Michael felt himself tear up again, but he ignored it for now.

 

Jeremy hummed and relaxed under Michael’s touch. After a second, he grabbed Sandshrew and shifted it to be above their heads, still keeping contact with Michael but removing the obstacle between them. Then Jeremy scooted closer and tucked himself under Michael’s chin. They hadn’t been this close in months, not like this. Not since before the SQUIP had happened. And Jeremy seemed perfectly relaxed under Michael’s touch.

 

Michael didn’t shift himself at all, he let Jeremy set all of the boundaries. He couldn’t help but smile, but he also couldn’t stop himself from tearing up even more. They were fixing themselves. They were getting better. Maybe one day, he wouldn’t need to have to worry about ‘what if’ situations. “You comfy down there, nerd?”

 

“Yeah...” It was more of a sigh than anything, but it was a very relaxed and happy sound. “Very comfy.” Jeremy nuzzled against him. “You okay with this too?”

 

“I’m more than OK with this,” Michael reassured him as he felt a few more happy tears slide down his face. “I’m happy. Very happy.”

 

“We’re getting there, Mikey. We’re getting better.” Jeremy sounded like he was smiling. “We’re gonna be okay.”

 

 

 

They were OK, kept being OK and getting better. Michael kept Sandshrew with him at all times, and even if he got weird looks; he learned not to care again. He was getting so much better and he was proud of himself.

 

Jeremy was getting better too, even if he had moments where he slipped up as well. They were in Jeremy’s room, just relaxing. Michael had on a new hoodie, a Hufflepuff hoodie that was bright yellow. He was watching Jeremy do something stupid, and he couldn’t help but laugh. This felt normal, like before. It was almost like the SQUIP never happened.

 

“Dude, I just can’t believe you missed _all_ your cues today at rehearsal. Where was your head at?” Jeremy was lying with his legs up against the wall. He was grinning up at Michael, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

 

“Hey, I’m the stage manager, I don’t really _have_ cues like you do,” Michael argued with a pout now that his laughter was calming down. “You don’t need to know that I was thinking about-“ _You_. How I’m really falling for you again, after all that’s happened. That I know that _I_ love you. “-how badly I was craving chicken tenders. Shit, I just told you! Damnit, you absolute madman.”

 

Jeremy flipped himself over and knelt in front of Michael, still looking very mischievous. “Are you _sure_ that’s what you were thinking about, Mikey?” he asked sweetly. “‘Cause you just told a lie.” His tone was light and singsong-y and his grin was bright. He cackled as Michael reached over to shove him, but stiffened as soon as they made contact, eyes going wide.

 

Michael had felt a small static shock where they touched.

 

Jeremy instantly stiffened, back straightening as he shifted to take up as little space as possible. “I’m sorry...” His voice dropped to something less energetic, more submissive. “I-I’ll behave better, I’m sorry.” His eyes lost focus as he started mumbling something, his breathing a little harsh.

 

Michael tensed up near instantly then. Jeremy had never done this before. He was disassociating. This was new, and not a good kind of new. “Remy, you didn’t do anything wrong,” he tried, but that didn’t seem to work. “You don’t need to be sorry,” Michael kept trying, trying to stay calm. Was this how Jeremy got before, when he thought he was a SQUIP?

 

“Okay, but I can still do better. I- I fell behind, I’ll do better now.” Jeremy’s hazy eyes flicked up to Michael for a moment before he stared straight ahead, focusing on... the new mirror Jeremy had _just_ gotten used to. It had taken months for Jeremy to be able to look at a mirror without needing to do those mantras that Michael could just about remember. Was that what he was doing now? Michael wasn’t about to listen closely enough to check.

 

Instead, Michael just bolted off the bed, going and getting the headphones Jeremy needed. He connected it to his own phone, quickly got some Marley playing, and put them on Jeremy before completely blocking the new mirror. Michael even grabbed a blanket and tried to cover it with that. “Nope, we aren’t doing this today, Remy. Just listen t’Marley.” He didn’t even realize he dropped Sandshrew in his rush, but he didn’t care. He had to help Jeremy.

 

As soon as the mirror was covered, Jeremy’s breathing evened out and he blinked harshly. Moments later, clarity returned to his eyes, but the tension in his posture didn’t fade. He watched Michael carefully, as if studying him, his expression slightly mistrustful.

 

Even if it stung for a second, he understood. He just accidentally shocked Jeremy. Jeremy wanted to make sure he wasn’t SQUIPed. Michael just had to act like himself.

 

“Hey, it’s alright, I-“ And he tripped gracelessly over a pile of clothes on the floor. God damnit Jeremy. He groaned, thankfully landing with his face next to Sandshrew, which he grabbed. “ _Ow_. My lovely fucking _face_.”

 

Jeremy peeked over the edge of the bed, eyes wide. “M-Mikey? Y-you okay?” His voice was still quiet and submissive but his eyes were more focused than they had been. He was still half hiding but he seemed less scared too. The headphones were off.

 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he reassured, holding up Sandshrew for Jeremy then. “Look who I found down here! He’s fine too! Are you OK though?”

 

Jeremy nodded slowly. “Sorry for freaking out.” He was still hiding, his eyes a little ashamed.

 

“No, Jeremy, it’s alright. We didn’t expect it and I’m just glad you’re alright,” Michael reassured him, sitting up slowly. “Do you wanna hug Sandshrew for a bit? Hugging him helps me a lot when I get nervous or anxious, but especially after I relapse a little.”

 

Jeremy nodded again and reached out slowly for Sandshrew before pulling him back and curling around the plush. “Thanks.” Jeremy then reached out again, but hesitated. “Can you touch some metal or something? I wanna hold your hand,” he mumbled.

 

Michael nodded then, getting up and looking around. He saw one of Jeremy’s rods that held up his wall shelves, touching that for a few seconds (just in case) before walking over and plopping down on Jeremy’s bed. “My hand is ready to be held, Sir Heere.”

 

Jeremy sat up, still wrapped around Sandshrew, and slowly took Michael’s hand. He relaxed almost instantly, the tension leaving him as he offered Michael a small, hesitant smile. “M’sorry you had to see me go like that. Thought I had them under control now but guess not.”

 

“Jeremy, it’s OK. We both are recovering still, and that means we can relapse. I’m just glad that we’re getting better despite all that,” Michael told him, slowly lying back in bed. He squeezed Jeremy’s hand as he looked at the slowly-peeling stickers on the ceiling.

 

“Yeah I know, but I just-“ Jeremy cut himself off, shaking his head. He laid back, next to Michael and looked up at him. “I’m just glad I’m not scared of you anymore. I got spooked, but I’m not scared.” Jeremy didn’t move closer yet, obviously still grounding himself.

 

“I’m really glad to hear that. Hopefully the only times I’ll spook you once we’re better will be times I’ll give you cheap jump scares and you’ll get spooked like the little bitch baby you are,” Michael teased, no bite behind his words as he glanced over at him with a smile. “Also, your stickers are peeling.”

 

Jeremy gasped, offended, and smacked Michael with Sandshrew. “I am not a little bitch baby! I’m a very brave big boy!” He pouted, shooting a fake glare at Michael. “Also yes, I know they are, but they’re _special_. I’ll pull them down when they’re dead, and not a moment before.”

 

Jeremy was quiet for a moment before he finally sighed. “I... how much do you actually remember from that all? Because I know you were at least somewhat conscious the whole time, but we never really got around to dealing with the memories directly, just the fallout. Dr King said it might be good for us to talk about it properly...”

 

Michael couldn’t help but feel a lump form in his throat at that. “I mean... I basically remember it all at this point, even if I don’t want to,” he muttered out, picking at the hem of his hoodie. “... What d’you wanna talk about?”

 

“I-“ Jeremy seemed to be debating something with himself. “I still get nightmares. About that time. About what could have happened,” he admitted softly. “I didn’t tell you because I was worried about telling you things you didn’t know about and freaking you out, but I had to check. I wanna be totally honest with you, Mikey. I don’t want to hide things like that.”

 

Even if his throat was tight, Michael nodded along with that. “I... Sometimes, I still hear it. It still talks to me sometimes like I’m still in the mindset of being a SQUIP. It freaks me out, but holding onto Sandshrew helps. It reminds me of the moments we’ve had, that we’re making, and that everything’s gonna be OK.”

 

Jeremy scooted closer, still not touching him yet, but closer than he was. “Yeah, it will be. Eventually...” He sighed. “You... you said something during the play I still don’t get. You said I was split... corrupted or something. How did it convince you I was split when I was very clearly still a whole person?”

 

Oh. _Oh_. “Uh...” Michael fiddled a lot more with his hoodie hem then. “Well, after the party and when I was talking with Jenna at school, after finding out about Rich, I felt myself hurting. It had been a while since I really _felt_ anything. The SQUIP asked me if I wanted it to stop the pain, and I said yes. And it...” Michael felt his throat tighten then. “It took the form of you. You were blocked from my vision and it made me think it was you, manipulating me further to get what it wanted. Then it... During the play, before you were brought t’me, it said it was the ‘good’ part of you, the one that believed ‘everything I said and trusted me’ and all that.” He felt nauseous telling him that. Michael tried to avoid thinking about all of that, but saying it out loud to Jeremy... “It said the only way to make you ‘whole’ again was to SQUIP you...”

 

Jeremy was quiet for a second and Michael thought he might be upset. Then he finally spoke. “Well that explains a few things.”

 

“What?” Jeremy shifted uncomfortably.

 

“Everyone else said that, when they were SQUIPed, they were totally aware but unable to stop themselves. And they saw a version of you with them at all times, even when they were with you. With _me_ , it was censoring my thoughts, directly changing them as I thought them. And I felt myself becoming weaker and weaker, to the point where I stopped fighting. That must have been the ‘good’ part of me ‘reasserting’ itself, because it was _just_ you I saw, no SQUIP.”

 

Well _that_ explained a _lot_ of things, why everyone was so freaked out with him at first when he came back. Why they still seemed to be hesitant around him, though everyone was getting better. He felt that nauseous feeling getting worse. Michael had to keep his mouth shut and breathe through his nose then. Oh god, oh _fuck_ , holy shit-

 

Jeremy was suddenly tucked under his chin, wrapping his arms around him and holding him close. “It’s okay, Mikey. I got you. You’re alright.” Jeremy moved Michael’s hands to his back. “Hold as tight as you need, I’ll be okay. No one blames you. Rich explained to everyone exactly what happened, as well as why it happened. And they’re not upset, just still struggling a little, and are still struggling around me after everything they did to me. We haven’t exactly done much separately with them, so it’s me they’re struggling with, not you.” Jeremy somehow knew exactly what to say.

 

Michael kept taking deep breaths, and he just clung to Jeremy's shirt, not his actual back. He felt tears falling down his face then, still struggling a bit as he tried to keep his nausea down. "I..." He took a deep breath then, swallowing the lump in his throat. "We need a day out w'them. I need t'pologize to them."

 

“If that’s what you need, that’s what we’ll do.” Jeremy nodded, which was effectively just him nuzzling against Michael’s chest. “I’ll text Chrissy later, who can organize it. I’m still not so good with the whole social media thing after everything that happened. ‘Keep getting targeted still sometimes.” Jeremy was clearly still a bit out of it himself, if his loose tongue was any indicator.

 

"How about we wait until college to try that up again, social media, if we even want to?" Michael offered. "A fresh new start, away from the stupid drama of high school. Also, making accounts private is very cool." He managed to keep his nausea down then, Jeremy's 'nodding' only making his heart race, but in a good way. Hopefully he didn't notice.

 

If he did notice, he didn’t say anything. If anything, he pulled himself closer. “Hey, Mikey? There’s... one more thing I want to talk about. From the play,” Jeremy murmured, and Michael could feel how Jeremy’s face had gotten hotter as he spoke.

 

Which thing did he want to talk about? There were a lot... "Yeah, of course," he reassured Jeremy as his grip loosened on Jeremy's shirt, his hands gently moving to rest, one across Jeremy's shoulder and the other against his hip.

 

“Just before I took the SQUIP. I er- I said some stuff. And I did some stuff. And I wanted to know your thoughts on said stuff?”

 

Michael looked down at him then. OK, Jeremy could definitely hear his heart racing then. "Which stuff? You said and did a lot of stuff before you took the SQUIP..." He thought about how Jeremy had been willing to basically die for him... That was still a lot to take in.

 

“I did,” Jeremy agreed, but continued. “I mean the fact that I- er, I well... _Ikissedyou_.” He spoke almost too fast to understand, and half the words were mangled as he spoke into Michael’s hoodie, but Michael understood them all the same.

 

"I mean... I told you I love you," Michael told him back, his face relatively warmer than normal as he admitted that. It was a little easier to say that since Jeremy was so clearly flustered.

 

“That really _was_ you?” Jeremy murmured, sounding both awed and hopeful.

 

"Yeah, before SQUIP bitch fucked with my head even more," Michael reassured him. "I... I didn't say anything 'cause we've just been recovering. I didn't want t'ruin anything..."

 

“M-me either...” Jeremy admitted. “I... I didn’t say or do anything I didn’t one hundred percent mean.” The unspoken ‘I couldn’t lie to you anyway’ hung heavily between them, but neither voiced it. “And I liked it. You got my first kiss. Did- did it at least get through to the real you?”

 

He nodded to that. "It helped me, more than you could know. I was confused a-and scared, and SQUIP was yelling at me after but I knew what happened to you was wrong, what happened after the kiss, who SQUIP made you become, wasn't you. I... I couldn't really process it well, I was so stunned, but I remember... I remember liking it. I don't remember the feeling, but I remember that much."

 

Jeremy nodded. “I... I think I’m still too... messed up to try for a relationship at the moment... but could I kiss you now? As... like a promise. That I want to try once I’m better...if you’re okay with that, of course. I mean, I wouldn’t want you to feel uncomfortable or pressured or-“

 

"Jeremy, I wouldn't. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to make you feel bad. Once we're both better, we can try because I want to try too. I... How about we see how we are after the school year ends? I would also really like that promise kiss," Michael told Jeremy, voice soft and gentle all the while.

 

Jeremy giggled a little. “Yeah, that sounds good.” He pulled back a little to actually look at Michael properly. Then he shifted them both so Michael was lying on his back, arms on Jeremy’s hip and around his shoulder still, and Jeremy was hovering just over him, cheeks flushed and eyes bright. Slowly, he lowered himself closer to Michael’s lips, eyes focused on Michael’s face, obviously looking for any sign of hesitation. When he saw none, Jeremy properly connected their lips.

 

This was different from the last one, which Michael barely remembered. This one was sweet and shy, but somehow bubbling with promise and barely restrained desire. Jeremy wanted him to feel how loved he was, he wanted Michael to feel it in every breath and every touch they would share from now on, and Michael could almost taste it on Jeremy’s lips. It was slightly clumsy due to their inexperience, but their lips moved together and found a rhythm that was uniquely _them_. When Jeremy eventually pulled back, he was panting and flushed, and his eyes were blown wide. It was one of the most beautiful sights Michael had ever seen.

 

Inside, Michael was conflicted: he wanted to keep going because he was almost hooked on that feeling, he wanted to just _stare_ at this beautiful sight of Jeremy forever, and he just wanted to freeze this moment. He didn't want this to go away... But they couldn't have this, not yet. They needed to work on themselves more. This whole moment was a promise, a promise of things yet to come. It was a promise to keep working. They _could_ have this, and he so desperately wanted it now that he had a brief taste of what could be.

 

"I... _wow_." Wow, brilliant thing to say, dumbass... but he didn't have the right words to describe how _amazing_ that was. See, even _that_ wasn't a good word to describe it.

 

“Wow...” Jeremy agreed softly, voice almost reverent. He almost didn’t seem to realize that he had bent down for another kiss until their lips were already connected. He pulled back slowly, regretfully, and Michael chased after the feeling until he too realized what he was doing. “That was one hell of a promise...” Jeremy mumbled and he flopped down partially on top of Michael, hiding in the crook of Michael’s neck to calm down.

 

Michael couldn't help but laugh a bit at that, carefully keeping Jeremy close at those designated spots. "It definitely was... You better keep it," he teased for a moment, moving one hand, from around Jeremy's shoulder, and blindly reaching for the edge of a loose blanket. He found it a few seconds later before tossing it over them. "I know I will."

 

 

 

Jeremy shifted uncomfortably in the late April air. It wasn’t raining, thank god, but it was both humid and too cold to be humid at the same time. He didn’t like it. Nor did he like being the only one outside the bowling alley, waiting for their group.

 

He’d arrived fifteen minutes early, as always, but now they were five minutes past their agreed meet up time and no one had turned up. And Jeremy was refusing to look at his phone because there was still the latest threat sent to him still hovering in his notifications and he did _not_ want to see that.

 

Jeremy just hoped it was Christine or Michael who arrived first, or Rich. He still couldn’t handle the others alone yet, still too freaked out by what they had done and said. Even if it wasn’t their fault, Jeremy was still uncomfortable. Michael might have been abusive while SQUIPed, but he hadn’t been outright and obviously cruel, nor did he seem to take pleasure in his actions, just viewed them as necessary. The rest of the squad had appeared to enjoy it as they tore him down (though he wasn’t sure if it was because of their SQUIPs or not).

 

He saw an unfamiliar car pull up into the parking lot, up into the handicap spot right near him. Jeremy saw Rich in the driver's seat, and he felt a bit better when he hopped out and waved. "Hey! I'll be over in a sec, hold on," he said before hurrying to the other side of his car. Peering in from where he was, he saw the handicap sign dangling off of Rich's rear-view mirror and Jake in the passenger's seat, waving meekly over at Jeremy. Yeah, he wasn't as bad as everyone else, but Jake running after him still terrified him, even if he was still using crutches. Jake obviously felt just as bad.

 

Even months later, Jeremy still got a spike of worry when he saw someone from the squad. He could deal with it, but it existed.

 

“Hey guys, how’re you doing?” he asked as Jake climbed out the car with Rich’s help. After the whole ‘feel no pain, let me run around on broken bones’ stunt he was made to pull, Jake had been left in a wheelchair for months. He was only allowed out of it occasionally now and it seemed like this was one of those days.

 

"Good, sorry we're late. There's killer traffic right now," Rich said as he walked over with Jake, who had his cushioned crutches. They were cushioned with mini unicorn Pillow Pets.

 

"Yeah, Christine sent a text saying that she, Michael, and Chloe are gonna be here soon, but Brooke should be here with Jenna first," Jake informed Jeremy, giving them a little more space as Jeremy was given a soft, somewhat hesitant smile.

 

“G-Great.” Jeremy nodded with a small smile of his own. Then he pulled out his own phone but not looking. “Rich, could you please?” He could trust Rich with his tech. That made things a bit easier because then he could call Michael without any worry of the bad message.

 

Rich nodded, taking Jeremy's phone and quickly typing in his passcode. It took less than fifteen seconds before he was given his phone back. "Done and done, my man. I also blocked that number for you."

 

“Th-thanks, Rich.” Jeremy shot him a grateful smile. Rich was awesome. He has sort of taken a brotherly role in Jeremy’s life, looking out for him and such, and was very patient and understanding. They helped each other out with their SQUIP issues, even if Jeremy was a little hesitant still (he was still a former bully. Jeremy hadn’t forgotten the swirly, even if that had been all the SQUIP’s fault).

 

Now that his phone was safe, Jeremy checked his other messages. It looked like Brooke and Jenna would be here next, with Michael and the rest bringing up the rear, just like Jake had said. Oh. That meant Jeremy would be surrounded for at least five minutes without either of his buffers to support him. Well... he was a big boy, he could deal. Maybe.

 

“So- er- how are you guys?” Jeremy asked, somewhat awkwardly.

 

Thankfully, Rich seemed to be somewhat able to pick up on how awkward and nervous he felt. “Oh my god, this is the highlight of my weekend. Things have been _shiiit_.” He started to go into some story about some insane stuff that happened when he was out and about Saturday. Jeremy wasn’t sure if it all wasn’t but exaggerated or not, but it kept the heat off of him.

 

Jeremy found himself relaxing somewhat; Rich was an engaging storyteller and he seemed to be very happy to ramble about anything and everything. Jeremy was startled from his relaxed mindset when Brooke and Jenna called out to them.

 

“Hey guys!” Brooke seemed to be in a very good mood, and Jenna followed behind her, more calm but also just as happy. Jeremy couldn’t help but tense up when he saw Jenna was on her phone. He was actually struck mute by it, as usual, but for some reason he couldn’t push past it this time. He settled for waving awkwardly as Rich and Jake crowed out excitable greetings.

 

Jenna seemed to notice his slight change, quickly typing before putting her phone away. She gave Jeremy a smile that he couldn’t quite read as the two girls settled together by Rich and Jake. Brooke leaned against Jenna, an arm around her shoulders. “Sorry for being late! Jenna took a while to come out.”

 

“Hey, don’t pin this all on me. You didn’t text me that you were outside right away. You thought I was glued to my window.”

 

“You normally are.”

 

“But not always.”

 

Jeremy relaxed somewhat with the phone’s disappearance but he still couldn’t quite find his voice. To be fair, this was the first time he was around all of these people without Michael or, more helpfully, Christine. Michael was great and very good to help sooth him normally, but Christine had been with him the most when things really went to shit, so it was her who gave him the most comfort socially.

 

So instead of saying anything, Jeremy just shot them a small (and somewhat shaky) smile and listened as Rich got back to his chatter. He tried his best to ignore the small twitches from Jenna and Jake which set his nerves buzzing.

 

Rich seemed to easily capture everyone’s attention, and Jeremy didn’t even realize that ten minutes went by until he checked his phone when he got a text. Christine sent him a string of text emojis, which he knew meant they were about to pull in (he just got her weird text lingo, okay?). Looking up, he couldn’t help but feel himself relax when he saw the familiar P.T. Cruiser pull into the parking lot.

 

The car parked nearby, and he saw Christine barrel out before it even fully stopped. Jeremy definitely heard Michael’s concerned yelling from inside the car before she slammed the door shut while it was still moving and ran over, almost tackling him. “ _Jeremy_!”

 

Jeremy stumbled backwards, laughing happily. There’s his ball of sunshine, at last. “Hey Chrissy!” He giggled, righting himself. It was the most relaxed and energetic he’d felt since arriving, and it was glorious.

 

Jeremy was still giggling and trying to partly detach Chrissy from around him when Michael and Chloe walked over. Michael looked just about as awkward as Jeremy had felt only moments ago, and Chloe looked somewhat concerned. Still, Michael relaxed when he saw Jeremy and Chrissy each hold out an arm for a hug. “Hey, Mikey. Hey Chloe.” Michael wandered over and instantly melted into their hold.

 

“Uh, hi... I’m not interrupting anything, right? It feels like I’m interrupting,” Chloe somewhat teased. Christine just snickered then.

 

“Nope! I just need to give my boys some good hugs before we go in!” Jeremy felt Christine give both him and Michael a good squeeze before pulling back. She seemed to be prepping herself up for something, taking a few deep breaths before grinning. “OK, let’s go! The bowling alley won’t know what hit ‘em- not literally, but metaphorically!” She cheered, and everyone (except Michael, who still seemed awkward) cheered before they followed her in.

 

Michael, however, stayed back, and seemed to shoot Chloe a smile and nod as she lingered for a second. Chloe just nodded before heading inside. “How’re you feeling?” Michael asked as it was momentarily just the two of them. “Are you sure you want to do this? It’s OK if you don’t want to.”

 

Jeremy took Michael’s hand and squeezed it before letting it go. “I’ll be okay. I was struggling a little before you and Chrissy arrived, but with you two here, I’ll be just fine.” Jeremy glanced around. “And I don’t see anyone else from school around either, so that’s a bonus.” Jeremy tried for a smile but it was a little weak. Michael instantly picked up on it.

 

“Another text?”

 

Jeremy nodded, deflating a little. “Rich sorted it for me, and blocked the number. I just thought they would let it go by now, _especially_ when Jenna released that official apology and everything.”

 

“Some people just don’t know when to stop,” Michael told him. “Those people just want to be negative and terrible. If I find out who did that, I’ll fight them. I’ll put my time in karate to good use on them.” He did a few mock punches, giving Jeremy a small grin before his eyes lit up with something. “Shit, I forgot Sandshrew in the car.” Michael grabbed his keys, though held out a hand for Jeremy. “Come with me to get him?”

 

“Naturally. I’m not gonna leave our child in the car alone!” Jeremy cried dramatically with a cheeky grin, feeling himself relax once again. Michael had that effect on him.

 

Michael just laughed at that, and Jeremy took his hand. It didn’t take long to find Sandshrew (the plushie had been in the backseat by Christine, she forgot to grab it for him in the rush to see Jeremy). Once they had the plush, Michael seemed a lot more relaxed, shutting the door with his foot before holding it close. “My poor child. I’m so sorry, you will not be forgotten again.”

 

Jeremy bent down and kissed Sandshrew’s head, then grinned up at Michael. “C’mon, we need to go tell off his Auntie Chrissy for leaving the poor baby in the car.” He held out his hand for Michael this time and stepped a little closer as they started heading inside.

 

Michael just seemed to light up then, and took Jeremy’s hand after locking the car up and stuffing his keys into his hoodie pocket (it was the Hufflepuff one again). They both walked into the bowling alley and saw Jake and Chloe talking to the person working at the desk. Over by the actual bowling lanes, Jeremy saw everyone either putting on the tacky bowling shoes or checking out the balls. Christine in particular didn’t seem to be checking the balls for bowling...

 

Christine perked her head up when she saw the two, tucking the ball she had close with one arm, akin to a mother cradling a baby. “Hey, you two slowpokes! What took you so long?”

 

“You left the baby in the car! We had to go and rescue him!” Jeremy scolded, frowning but with a playful twinkle he _knew_ Christine would see. “How could you be so irresponsible with our child, Chrissy! Your own nephew, no less!” Michael nodded along, looking very disappointed.

 

From the corner of his eye, he saw Chloe look over, seemingly alarmed before relaxing when he saw Michael subtly wave Sandshrew at her. She relaxed before returning to her conversation.

 

Christine let out a loud, exaggerated gasp as she locked eyes with the plush. “Oh no, I’m so sorry. I got too excited. I’m a terrible aunt,” she whimpered out. “Can you _ever_ forgive me? Can I ever right this wrong?”

 

Jeremy shared a look with Michael, who grinned and nodded. “Explain what you were thinking with the bowling balls and we _might_ forgive you. We _know_ it’s not for bowling.” Jeremy could read Christine very well and could almost tell when she was plotting something. This was one of those times, she was certainly up to something mischievous.

 

Her eyes lit up as she shifted the bowling ball in her arms. “Well, do you remember what I told you about last year? With the bowling alley?” she asked, moving closer to the two and almost whispering.

 

Jeremy lit up, giggling even as Michael looked confused. “No way... Count me in! But _after_ we’ve had a round, I want to play first.”

 

“If I know what I’m doing, I’ll join in,” Michael muttered out, glancing around the two as they moved to make a small huddle.

 

Christine’s eyes absolutely lit up before she tugged his arm, having him bend down. She explained all the details to him. Jeremy remembered how he was hesitant when he first was told about it, but Michael wouldn’t be hesitant.

 

Michael’s eyes lit up as he pulled back, nodding with a cheeky grin. “Oh yes, for sure. You’re going to make a wonderful mother, even if you left your nephew in the car.”

 

Jeremy giggled. “She’s gonna take _much_ better care of this child. But it’s not coming until _after_ the first game.”

 

Christine pouted at that. “Ugh... fine, I think my child can wait until then.”

 

“C’mon Chrissy, let’s go indulge in the game before we get kicked out. It’ll be... good... for me and Mikey to help us get more... comfortable.” The reason for them being here resurfaced in Jeremy’s mind, and for a moment his smile fell as the discomfort made itself known. Then he did his best to push it aside and focus on the now. He had Mikey and Chrissy. Things would be fine.

 

He felt Christine reach down and hold his hand, the one that wasn’t still holding Michael’s. “Yeah, for sure. You two are together in one game with Brooke and Chloe. Jenna and I are with Rich, and Jake’s just gonna play devil's advocate on the sidelines,” she told them. “You alright with that? Our lanes are right next to each other.”

 

Jeremy took a deep breath and nodded. “Sounds good. Just... keep an eye on us? Make sure neither of us freak out. I _know_ they won’t tease us too much but still.”

 

“Chloe’s been getting a little protective now that she really gets what happened, not thinking that everyone just did a bunch of ecstasy all week,” Christine reassured him. “She would come after anyone if they even tried anything. I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for you two though, don’t worry.”

 

“Thanks Chrissy!” Jeremy beamed, and Michael grinned too.

 

“You’re awesome, hun.”

 

Together they headed over to the lane and got ready to play. Jeremy had just found the right sized ball when Brooke approached both him and Michael.

 

“Hey... Chrissy said you wanted to talk to me about something, Mikey?”

 

Jeremy saw Michael tense up before taking a deep breath. “I... I wanted to apologize, about last year and all that stuff that went on. You know, near the play and everything and with the, uh... SQUIP stuff.” Jeremy knew Michael wanted to look away, but he kept his gaze firmly on Brooke. “I know it wasn’t _me_ who did that really, but I still played a part in it and I did some really uncool, unethical stuff... So, I’m sorry. I really am. You’re still a really cool and good friend of mine, Brooke. If you don’t forgive me for that stuff, I totally get it, but... yeah.”

 

Brooke’s gaze softened considerably. “Oh, Mikey... I already forgave you for that. Once I understood what had happened, I forgave you instantly. You had about as much choice as any of us by the end, the real you anyway.” She shuffled her foot awkwardly. “Can... can I give you a hug?” She held out her arms, looking hopeful.

 

Michael lit up a little, nodding. He seemed to hesitate for a second, since he was still holding Sandshrew, but Brooke just held out a hand. He handed the plushie over, and she reached up and booped the plush and Michael’s nose together before hugging him. Brooke kept the plush in the hug, which seemed to relax him as he hugged her back. “Thank you so much Brooke...”

 

Brooke eventually pulled back, smiling softly. Then she turned to look at Jeremy, who half stiffened under her gaze.

 

“I don’t know if I ever properly apologized to you either, Jere. I was really horrible to you even _before_ I got SQUIPed.”

 

Jeremy flailed a little, eyes going wide.

 

“No, it’s fine Brooke! You have apologized and I already forgave you. You just... didn’t know. It’s not your fault.”

 

“It’s still no excuse. I should have asked for your side of the story and just... yeah.” Brooke gave them both a soft smile before Chloe came over.

 

The display screens for scores and names lit up, and Chloe looked over everyone in their quad with her arms on her hips. “OK, everyone OK? We all getting along here?”

 

“Oh my god, Chloe, you don’t have to go big sister on us,” Brooke teased while Chloe sputtered. “It’s nice seeing you care so much though.”

 

Jeremy giggled, finding himself relaxing a bit more. He wasn’t usually _this_ relaxed around them, even if it wasn’t fully relaxed. At least it was an improvement. “We’re okay, Chloe. Just having some heart to hearts before the game.” He offered a shy smile, more genuine than anything he’d managed to muster in recent months around the squad.

 

Chloe nodded then, even if she looked a little flustered still from the ‘big sister’ comment. “Alright, well... good. I’ll put our names in and then we can get started. Sound good?” she asked as she went and sat in the chair attached to the keypad and screen.

 

“Sounds good to me. Thanks Chloe,” Michael said, taking Sandshrew back from Brooke. Jeremy could see her get a little more flustered by that comment.

 

They got bowling, with Jeremy finding just how good Chloe was. Still, he managed to keep up with her, and Michael and Brooke fell behind but kept laughing happily. When Jeremy managed to bowl two strikes in a row, everyone cheered and complimented him. It was a bit overwhelming but in the best way. Eventually, they finished with Chloe in first, Jeremy in second, Michael in third, and Brooke coming in last. It was the most fun Jeremy had had with the squad in ages, but now it was time for the _finale_. He shot a grin to Christine and Michael, who nodded.

 

Christine, who just finished her game with Jenna and Rich, gasped suddenly. She stumbled back a few steps, holding onto the bench that Jake was sitting at. Jake's eyes widened, not understanding what was going on (who truly understood performance art except for the actors and actresses anyway?). "Christine, what's wron-"

 

"I'm... I'm in labor," she almost cried out, to which the few others patrons of the bowling alley turned around with wide eyes, including most of the squad. "Oh god."

 

"Wh... but Christine, you're a vir-"

 

" _The pain, Richard, the pain_!"

 

Jeremy dove next to Christine and took her hand, eyes wide, and Michael knelt down next to her. “It’s gonna be fine, Chrissy. You’re gonna be fine. Just _breathe_.” Jeremy kept his voice serious, but it was hard. He wanted to burst out laughing. He resisted, he wasn’t about to ruin this for Christine.

 

“Breathe, Chrissy. Let the contractions happen,” Michael added soothingly, surprisingly managing to keep his giggles in for now.

 

Everyone else in the group seemed to panic and be confused... except Brooke, who knelt down by her side. From the corner of his vision, he saw her grab a bowling ball as she winked over at Christine. "Oh god, it's OK. Even if you're a bit early, it'll be alright," she reassured Christine, squatting down behind her and keeping the bowling ball at the ready, waiting for her cue later on.

 

Christine started to breathe in an exaggerated way, while Michael took her hand and did deep breathing along with her as one of the actual bowling alley employees was starting to freak. "It'll be alright, don't worry, you're surrounded by friends."

 

Christine let it a small groan and Jeremy squeezed her hand. “It’s gonna be fine, Chrissy. You- you’re gonna have to push. You need to push.”

 

"I-OK," she gasped out, and Jeremy could see two of the staff at desk debating between one another on what they should do while one patron, some teenager probably from another school, took out their phone.

 

“And... _push_.” Christine strained and whined and Michael squeaked in panic.

 

“R-remy? I don’t do well with... blood and stuff?”

 

“You’re going to have to, Mikey. We can’t just leave her!” Jeremy was fighting back giggles. Michael was getting really into this. It was excellent. “Oh, I think it’s coming!”

 

"Oh god, it'll be ok, Chrissy," Brooke reassured her, brushing away strands of hair. Rich came over by this point, and he seemed to get what was going on. He stayed behind Christine then, pretending to support her back while trying not to burst out laughing.

 

Brooke, meanwhile, grabbed the bowling ball and let it drop, making a loud ' _thud_ ' resonate throughout the establishment. The person still behind the desk seemed to almost want to faint while the older of the staff was rushing over, eyes wide and a phone ready... until they saw that it was just one of their bowling balls that had dropped. "What the fu-"

 

Michael pretended to faint, falling against Jeremy, as Brooke shakily reached down and picked up the bowling ball. She was shaking as she handed it to Christine. “Congratulations, hun,” she whispered. Jeremy nodded with a grin, fanning Michael (whose shoulders were hitching a little as he held back his giggles).

 

Rich looked over at the bowling ball then, gaping wide. "Wow, your baby has your taste in wild color," he muttered out in awe, all while the employee who was a few feet back started to go through the five stages of grief.

 

Christine smiled then, cooing at the bowling ball baby before she stood, holding the ball high and proud above her head. "Look at my amazing baby! _But_ she is but a bowling ball, so I must let her live her best life, rolling along in life and taking the pins by storm." With that, she ran ahead, tossing her ball down the lane she, Jenna, and Rich had been using, past the still shell-shocked three to do so. She managed to hit a strike, which she cheered about with Jeremy, Rich, and Brooke. "Heck yes! Woo!"

 

“She’s fabulous, Chrissy!” Jeremy cheered.

 

“A true credit to you!” Michael agreed, sitting up.

 

"A splendid child you have there," Rich added, all while Brooke started to cry. Wow, this definitely showed her theatrical improvement. She even started clapping, which everyone else in the squad started to do, even if three of the members were severely confused.

 

Jeremy curled up around Michael, holding both his hands, as he watched on proudly. Michael blushed but went along with it, grinning and wiping away a fake tear.

 

“Alright you kids, break it up. You’ve caused enough of a disruption here today. Time to leave.” The security guard wandered over, grinning but shaking his head. Obviously he enjoyed the show at least a little.

 

"Geez, no one appreciates good performance art," Christine muttered out, arms crossed over her chest before she grabbed her purse.

 

"OK, seriously though, what the fuck just happened?" Jake asked as he got up, using his crutches.

 

"Something inspiring," Jenna responded, moving her phone down, having obviously recorded the entire performance. "Something everyone will see and love."

 

Jeremy’s grip on Michael’s hand tightened a little. He didn’t realize Jenna was recording. And she planned on posting it, likely to her blog which the whole school followed. Which meant everyone would see it and see Jeremy and-

 

" _But_ only if everyone's alright with it, we can talk about that later," Jenna said, putting it in her pocket. Michael shot Jeremy a reassuring look and gently squeezed his hand back before standing up with him.

 

“So- er-“ Rich started. “Is this finally a thing?” he asked, indicating between Michael and Jeremy. Jeremy spluttered and turned red, unable to answer him from how flustered he was.

 

“We’re waiting it out until the end of the school year to see if we’re ready for it,” was all Michael said as he picked up Sandshrew and quickly hurried out, leaving most everyone in a confused state.

 

Jeremy took a second to calm down once they were outside, shaking his head and giggling a little hysterically. “I didn’t think we were that obvious.” He sighed after a moment, letting Michael still tug him along. Honestly, they have been no more affectionate than usual. How had _Rich_ of all people picked up on it?

 

“I mean, I don’t know, you did call Sandshrew _our_ child multiple times,” Michael pointed out as he smiled affectionately down at him. “Can’t say that I mind, though.”

 

Jeremy blushed. “But he _is_ our child. He’s the representation of when our friendship became a promise!” He pouted, looking up at Michael before grinning. “But... I don’t mind it either.” He scooted closer, resting his head on Michael’s arm as they walked.

 

“He is... but also maybe more, who knows.” He saw Michael beam as they walked across the parking lot. “Well, since we got kicked out of the bowling alley, where should we go next with everyone else? They’ll be out shortly,” Michael pointed out as he went to his car with Jeremy.

 

“Maybe we could grab lunch at the mall? I’m craving some chilli fries and I’ve _finally_ convinced myself I’m allowed to eat them again.”

 

“Yeah, that sounds great, let’s just see if everyone else agrees,” Michael agreed. “I do wanna drop by Spenser’s and see if there are any new sodas in, so that would be nice.”

 

“I’m pretty sure they’ve got some Crystal Pepsi out back,” Jeremy mused aloud, still leaning on Michael’s arm. “I actually wanna pick up some more Red too, so that works out.” Despite the rancid taste, Jeremy ended up drinking Mountain Dew Red quite often. It helped him ground himself whenever he felt the old mindset creeping up.

 

“Oh, I definitely want some of that. I also never got any Ecto Cooler,” Michael muttered out, pouting a little. “And I got some money saved up so I’ll get you some Red, my treat.”

 

Jeremy frowned a little. “You sure, Mikey? I can pay for it, it’s not a problem...” He squeezed Michael’s hand as opposed to what he _really_ wanted to do (kiss his cheek). It was a poor substitute, but he’d manage.

 

“I know you can, but let it be my treat. For a great day out and just ‘cause I wanna treat you.” Michael reached over with the hand holding Sandshrew and poked his belly.

 

“You two aren’t making out out here, right?” Rich almost screamed out as he left the bowling alley first, followed out by everyone else that trickled out.

 

Jeremy rolled his eyes. “Nope, and we’re still getting more action than you and Jake!” he yelled back, before he blinked. That... was the first time he’d snarked _any_ of them except Michael and Christine. Even before, when he’d first gotten to know them he hadn’t been like that, he’d been very gentle because Michael had said they’d like it better. And he’d been too nervous to do it since Michael stopped being a SQUIP. Would they still like him if he showed off this side of him?

 

Rich sputtered out then before Jake shrugged from where he was next to Rich’s car. “He’s not wrong though, Rich,” he pointed out. “For real though, where are we going next, my dudes?”

 

Jeremy felt a little stupid for getting so worked up about it. They were his friends, of course they would be cool with him being himself. “To the mall. I’m craving chilli fries. Then Mikey and I are heading to Spencer’s but you guys are welcome to tag along.” He grinned, relaxing again.

 

“Well, you’re my ride, Mikey, so please take me with you,” Chloe almost playfully begged, while Christine hopped right over.

 

“Me too! I wanna get some soda myself at Spencer’s if there’s something that I like.”

 

“I call shotgun! My dad dropped me off, so I don’t have a ride.” Jeremy stuck his tongue out at Christine’s offended expression. “I don’t care if you just gave birth, Chrissy. Shotgun belongs to Player Two, no exceptions. Player Three gets to be queen of the back seat.”

 

“Aww, fine,” Christine muttered out, though had a huge grin as she ran to the back. “I get to babysit your child though!”

 

“Only if you don’t abandon him this time!” Jeremy scolded.

 

“Our baby could have _died_ because of your negligence.” Michael nodded sagely, shooting Christine a cheeky grin. Christine sort of squawked and tried to prove herself to be a better aunt now that she’d had her own child, and Jeremy couldn’t help but giggle along with Michael and Chloe. He could do this. He could deal with having friends after all.

 

 

 

Michael found himself in a dark place that seemed oddly familiar, though it wasn’t in a good way. He couldn’t see really anything around himself, and he tried to feel around to get a bearing on his surroundings. “Hello? Is anyone here?”

 

“Mikey? Is that you?” a voice asked. It sounded like Jeremy, but not. He sounded _wrong_ somehow, almost... empty. It was his voice but not him. “I’ve been worried! I didn’t know where you were and I don’t know what to do! I don’t know what to say...” he called, his voice coming somewhere to Michael’s left.

 

“Remy? I... what do you mean?” he asked, panic seeping up in his body, though he didn’t know exactly why as he kept moving along in Jeremy’s direction. “I’m coming to you, stay right there.”

 

“Okay, Mikey. I trust you. Just please, don’t leave me alone again. I can’t work without you. I _need_ you.” Why did those words make Michael’s stomach twist and him feel so nauseous?

 

“I don’t know what you mean Remy,” he muttered out, continuing his blind scramble over to where Jeremy was. “You can work without me, that makes no sense.”

 

“No I can’t,” Jeremy protested, his voice sounding much closer now. “I’m so much happier now than I ever have been. I need you to make it always be the case.” Jeremy didn’t sound happy. Michael could just about make out an outline that seemed to be Jeremy up ahead. Something about him seemed off, but Jeremy was too unclear to make out still; his back was facing Michael which made it hard to identify the problem.

 

Michael felt himself tense up as he stood behind Jeremy, hand raised yet hesitant. “You... you don’t sound happy at all, Jeremy,” he weakly rebutted before putting his hand down on Jeremy’s and turning him around once Michael got close enough to him.

 

Jeremy’s eyes were _wrong_. They still looked the same physically, but there was _no trace of Jeremy in them_. They were hollow, empty, doll-like. Just plain _wrong_.

 

He was smiling, but that too was frightening and _wrong_. Just a subtle curl of his lips, the edges turned up in an empty, vapid smile. Combined with his hollow eyes, it made him scarier than any monster Michael had face in any video game or movie.

 

“But I am happy, Mikey.” Jeremy cocked his head slightly, still with that disturbing smile on his face. His too perfect posture made the slight tilt seem awkward and almost too far skewed. “I’m very happy because you want me to be happy. My SQUIP knows best after all, and you say I should be happy.”

 

“I-what? No, no, you...” Oh... oh no, no, he was back but Jeremy wasn’t. He was SQUIPed and under its influence. “Jeremy no, your SQUIP doesn’t know what’s best for you, you aren’t happy, we need to get you some Red,” he said, grabbing Jeremy’s hand and starting to tug him... in some direction. _Somewhere_ had to lead out of here, right?

 

Jeremy didn’t put up an ounce of resistance physically. “But that would kill you. I don’t want you to die. I need you. I can’t function without you. I need you to be happy.” Those were some of his mantras. They made Michael feel sick. Wait, did he say it would kill _Michael_?

 

“Wait, what?” Michael asked, swallowing the gross taste rising in the back of his throat. “It wouldn’t kill me Jeremy, I’m not a SQUIP, I’m a human.”

 

If it wasn’t for the emptiness of his eyes, Jeremy might have looked concerned. “Are you having that glitch again? Oh dear...” He started smiling that horrible smile again after a moment’s thought. “Don’t worry, I know how to fix it.” Jeremy stood still, planted his feet so Michael couldn’t pull him along anymore, and started digging through the backpack that Michael had only just noticed. “You gave me the memories of us growing together to help inspire trust, remember? I’m sorry I couldn’t contain them better, but don’t worry. You’ll be all fixed soon.”

 

Michael shook his head then, the smile making him almost sick. It was hard to keep down. “What? No, those are all real, those are real memories. I’m not glitching, I just need to get you out of here and get some Red in your system,” Michael insisted as more panic started to build up. “There’s nothing that needs to be fixed, I’m a real person, a human like you, Remy!” He desperately tried to keep tugging Jeremy along to no avail. “Come on!”

 

Jeremy remained glued in place. He let out what might have been a happy sound if it wasn’t for his lifeless voice. “Found it.”

 

He held up a bottle of Mountain Dew. “If I take a mouthful of this, it’ll help remind you. And then you can drink the rest.” He looked almost proud of himself, as if he was doing something very good.

 

He felt panic shooting through him, and he almost broke down with how overwhelming everything was that was happening. “What? No, no, I don’t need any of that, I-I’m good Remy,” Michael insisted, trying to back up from Jeremy.

 

“I’m going to help you, Mikey. I have to drink first, then you’ll get better.” He nodded to himself serenely. The bottle twisted open with a hissing fizz and Jeremy lifted it to his lips. Before Michael could react, he took a big gulp of it, then turned that horrible smile on Michael again.

 

Michael felt his blood go cold as he watched Jeremy drink a huge gulp. He was shaking, he knew that much, and he could start to hear ringing. “Jeremy, no, no more of that and I’m not drinking that,” he insisted as he continued to try to yank his hand out of Jeremy’s, which had an iron-like grip.

 

“It’ll all be better soon, don’t worry Mikey,” Jeremy murmured soothingly (it wasn’t soothing, it was terrifying). “I’ll make sure you’re perfect, and then we can make everyone else perfect too. Just like you promised,” he cooed, lifting the bottle to Michael’s lips (which were parted as he gasped for breath) and forcing the sickly sweet liquid in. Michael choked a little, but he was certain he swallowed some, even as he spat most of it out.

 

Michael felt himself shake, and he knew his legs gave out, even as that terrible pain ran through his head. He cried as he felt it turn on, as Jeremy kept reassuring him in that hauntingly ‘happy’ tone. His head was wrapped in a suffocating numbness and he continued crying, even as Jeremy wrapped himself around Michael.

 

“ **Hello Michael, are you ready to get back to work? We are so close to making the world perfect for Jeremy.** ”

 

“ _Michael!_ ”

 

Nononononono! He didn’t want this anymore! He didn’t want to be a SQUIP!

 

“ _Michael! Wake up!_ ”

 

He was Michael. He was human! He was seventeen years old. They lived in New Jersey for almost their entire life. Wait, was that a ** _they_**? No! Michael was a He!

 

“ _Mikey, c’mon, you’re having a nightmare! It’s okay, you’re okay, just wake up._ ”

 

Michael suddenly sat up with a start, heart racing and a scream ripping itself from his throat. Gentle hands rubbed his shoulders and Michael heard someone shush him gently. “Hey, it’s okay, Mikey. It was just a nightmare, it wasn’t real. I gotcha, you’re okay.” Was that Jeremy? Fuck, no. Jeremy wanted to reactivate the SQUIP!

 

Michael flinched away from Jeremy’s touch then, feeling himself fall. He hit the floor, feeling the air knocked out of him. It just meant he had distance, he could get away, he could- Michael had some Red in his room, right? He just had to get to it-

 

He tried to move but couldn’t, too shaky. Michael couldn’t help but sob as he curled up within himself, hoping it would provide some line of defense. “Please don’t, Jeremy, I promise ‘m human, not your SQUIP.”

 

Jeremy let out a small whine. There was the sound of sheets moving, then feet padding along the ground, but no touch came.

 

“Michael Oliver Mell. Born March seventh to Moria Mell,” Jeremy said, his voice tight but it wasn’t hollow anymore. It was concerned and worried, but also determined. “You’ve been my best friend since we were five, and we’ve done almost everything together since. Eight months ago, you took a SQUIP to try and help me become cool, but it backfired. You chose to shut down the SQUIP to save me two months later and we’ve been recovering since.”

 

Michael risked peeking up. Jeremy was sitting on the other side of the room, his form blurry and unclear, but it looked like he might be curled up too. His posture would be terrible if he was, and he was very clearly trying to take up as little space as possible. “I know you’re human, Michael. And I don’t want to do anything but help you calm down. I won’t touch you or do anything you don’t want me to. I’m not here to hurt you. I’m not here to turn on the SQUIP. I’m only here because you were having a nightmare and you needed me.”

 

Michael felt himself calm down enough to rationalize. His voice wasn’t hollow, it was full of emotion. His SQUIP wasn’t reactivated. It was _him_. “Jer’my... _Please_ ,” he heard himself whimper out, a bit pathetically, but he didn’t care. Jeremy was himself and wasn’t back to that ‘happy’ Jeremy.

 

Slowly, Jeremy stood, explaining any action he was about to take before he did it. He carefully made his way over to Michael’s desk, picked up something, and moved to sit down next to Michael, his palm facing upwards on the floor next to them. He didn’t touch yet. Jeremy placed a bottle of Red next to Michael, and his glasses; a peace offering. “It might help ground you. Remind you that it’s not on anymore,” Jeremy murmured, offering Michael his glasses with his free hand.

 

Michael took in what he saw in front of him, nodding after swallowing the large lump in his throat. He managed to reach up, wiping at his eyes roughly before slowly managing to sit up. Reaching over, he took his glasses, putting them on before taking the glass bottle. Michael scanned it over, making sure everything was really how he saw it, before uncapping it and taking a sip of it (he had to conserve it, he always did, Jeremy used it sometimes to reassure himself).

 

The taste of old soda was the same as ever, a sort of horrible sweetness that had gone wrong, and Michael loved it. It was most certainly Mountain Dew Red. Once he put the bottle back down, properly capped again, he waited. No pain came, not even a small buzz.

 

“Feeling any better, Mikey?” Jeremy murmured, still in the same place and the same position as a moment ago. He was very clearly waiting for Michael to make the first move. Michael noticed that Jeremy was in his pajamas and didn’t have any sort of shoes, or even a sock, on. His glasses sat slightly crookedly on his face, which was flushed, and his hair was basically a bird’s nest. There was even a stray leaf caught in it. Jeremy was a mess, which only served to prove further that it really was Jeremy next to him and not the SQUIPed Jeremy.

 

Michael let out a shaky sigh as he slowly nodded. “I... yeah,” he almost gasped out, his breathing slowly starting to improve. “Better, definitely better...”

 

As he took Jeremy more into account then, knowing it was _his_ Jeremy, Michael couldn’t help but frown. “I... did you sleep over? How were you here t’wake me up? And why is there a leaf in your hair?” Michael asked, though his eyes quickly glanced around and he felt himself stiffen. “Where’s Sandshrew?”

 

Jeremy looked up, eyes fixated on something nearby. “I’m just reaching forward, Michael. Sandshrew rolled out of bed when you were having that nightmare.” Jeremy grabbed the plush, which he instantly offered to Michael as soon as he sat back again. Michael snatched him and held him close.

 

“As for how I’m here... I’m not totally sure myself. I woke up just knowing you needed me, so I got here as fast as I could. I almost didn’t even bring my glasses, I was so desperate. And when I got here, I climbed the tree up to your window since you left your window open. I saw you having a nightmare so I tried to wake you up,” Jeremy explained, looking away and blushing a little. He did reach up and pull the leaf out of his hair though.

 

At hearing all of that, Michael felt his own cheeks flush a little. "I... My house is at least a fifteen minute walk from yours," he muttered out, looking down at Sandshrew before glancing back up at Jeremy. "And you climbed the Big Oak for me? Even if you swear you almost died before you got halfway up to my room," he joked then, though was wondering _how_ Jeremy knew that Michael needed him.

 

“I didn’t exactly... walk... I might have sprinted the whole way?” Jeremy’s blush darkened. “And yeah, I did. You needed me so I came.”

 

"You truly _exercised_ for me?" Michael almost gasped out, feeling his own cheeks grow warmer. "You're truly a man after my heart, Jeremiah. But... _how_ did you know that I needed you?"

 

Jeremy curled up a little, almost as though he was ashamed. The hand he had out for Michael to take didn’t move. “I- I don’t _know_ ,” he admitted quietly. “I just knew. I woke up and I knew I needed to get to you as fast as possible because you needed me. It was all I could think about until I was actually in your room.”

 

Listening to that and looking out at the hand Jeremy still had out, Michael slowly moved himself closer, grabbing Jeremy's hand before sitting right next to him. "I... Well, at least we're a bit more connected," he muttered out, leaning his head against Jeremy's before he ran his thumb gently along the back of Jeremy's hand. "At least it wasn't raining when you came over, right?"

 

“Yeah, it was nice out... I think.” Jeremy sighed. “And I’m glad that I _did_ come, regardless of _how_ I knew to come.” He leant a little more on Michael, his movements slow enough for Michael to stop him if he needed to. He didn’t stop Jeremy at all. “It seemed like it was a pretty intense one... You wanna talk about it?”

 

He felt the nauseous feeling return, but he swallowed it down, just like he did in that... nightmare. "I... I dreamt you were SQUIPed again, like the one I gave you was still on. You weren't you, and tried to insist I was _your_ SQUIP, and after drinking some Dew, forced me to drink some too... You woke me up right after it reactivated." As he spoke, Michael continued to rub his thumb against Jeremy's hand and held Sandshrew a lot closer.

 

“Oh Mikey. I’m sorry, that sounds terrifying.” Jeremy squeezed his hand gently. “Can... can I hold you? Or would that be too much right now?”

 

He just nodded right away, as soon as he asked the first question before raising up his free arm. "I-I get what you mean when you say that the empty smile that I had was terrifying... I hated s-seeing it on you."

 

Jeremy shifted so Michael was half cradled against his chest. Hearing Jeremy’s heartbeat, still slightly elevated, calming down helped relax him. “Empty sm-... _fuck_. Yeah, I know what you’re talking about. It... it _is_ terrifying. Was... were my eyes gone too, and my voice, or just the smile?” he asked quietly. Slowly, he started stroking along Michael’s back. It seemed to be as much for himself as it was for Michael, but it was relaxing anyway.

 

Michael let out a shaky breath then, making sure to grab onto Jeremy's hand that wasn't running along his back with the hand not keeping Sandshrew close. "Both," he told him. "It was truly terrifying. You... you even insisted that all of our memories were fabricated just to create a sense of trust between us. I swore that I was going to get sick in that hellscape..."

 

“Yeah... that’s a normal reaction to that. I’m sorry you had to deal with it.” Jeremy nuzzled against his hair and Michael could have sworn he felt a soft kiss just on the top of his forehead. “It was hard enough seeing everyone else with it. When it’s someone you love, it makes it worse. But hey, it was just a dream. You’re fine and very much human. And I’m very aware that everything we’ve done is real. I have the photo albums at home to prove it.” He sort of giggled at that.

 

"I... Can you bring that next time we hang out here, or bring it out next time we're at your place?" Michael asked him, glancing up at Jeremy as he shifted his head a little.

 

“Of course, Mikey.” Jeremy nodded as he smiled softly down at Michael. The expression was so different from the dream he just had. Jeremy’s eyes were bright, full of life and love and concern, all directed at Michael. His smile was the same, loving and soft and sweet. Though the motion was the same as the creepy smile, this expression couldn’t have been anywhere further from it. Michael suddenly really wanted to kiss him.

 

He couldn't though, it wasn't the end of the year and they hadn't decided to go out yet. Even if his heart was swelling up as he stared at Jeremy, even if he wanted to relive that moment where Jeremy looked absolutely beautiful and he felt more alive than he had felt in ages. "Thanks, Remy," was what he said instead of asking for any of that. "D'you just wanna stay the night? I dunno what time or day it is right now, honestly, but it's probably super late."

 

Jeremy nodded, the exhaustion obviously hitting him as Michael brought it up. His smile turned sleepy and he yawned a little. “That would be great. But could I borrow your phone so I can text my dad? He’ll get worried if he can’t find me.”

 

"Yeah, 'course, I just gotta find it," he muttered out, though he didn't want to leave from where he was. Jeremy was really comfy…

 

“S’by your bed. C’mon. We can cuddle some more in bed,” Jeremy assured him, looking and sounding just as reluctant to move as Michael felt.

 

"Mm..." Even if everything in his body was telling him to stay, Michael reluctantly moved and got up, helping Jeremy to his feet before going to his bed. Grabbing his phone, Michael quickly opened up his messages after unlocking it, opening his chat with Jeremy's dad (which were mostly polite conversations, though they did like to discuss older music a lot). "Here y'go," he said around a yawn before flopping into bed.

 

Jeremy quickly typed out something before handing the phone back to Michael. As soon as it was on the bedside table, Jeremy opened his arms and sort of gently tugged Michael closer so he could rest on Jeremy’s chest again. He sort of expected it to be bony, but Michael found his new position to be comfortable in _every_ sense of the word.

 

“‘Night, Mikey,” Jeremy mumbled, wrapping his arms around Michael so sweetly.

 

Michael felt himself practically melt in Jeremy's arms, almost not needing to hold Sandshrew as close as normal. "G'night, Remy," he murmured back, not caring that his glasses were still on as he shut his eyes and fell into a dreamless slumber.

 

 

 

Jeremy shuffled nervously, picking at the sleeve of the red hoodie nervously. Jeremy had given it back to Michael ages ago, but Michael gave it straight back as a present, knowing how much it meant to Jeremy now. It felt fitting for him to wear, considering what he was planning to do.

 

It was the end of the school year, near the end of June. Jeremy and Michael had officially finished their junior year in one piece and they were doing better than ever in terms of their recovery. Jeremy was going to take the leap and ask Michael out properly, just as soon as he left the school building. Chrissy had promised to keep him distracted long enough for Jeremy to recover the small can of Ecto Cooler he had bought Michael from her car (they had only just got it back in the back room at Spencer’s, so Michael had yet to try it). Jeremy knew it was corny, he couldn’t help it. He just wanted to spoil Michael a little.

 

"Are you sure I'm allowed to record this, Jeremy?" Jenna asked as she and Brooke were walking alongside him. "I'm totally cool with not doing that, really."

 

"I think he just wants it recorded so he can watch it back later when he's feeling super sappy," Brooke pointed out, to which Jenna let out a small 'oh' and nodded in agreement to that.

 

“She’s right,” Jeremy confirmed, fiddling with the bottle stowed in the big pocket. “Videos mean a lot to me. S’what woke me up in the first place after all. Important memories should be documented.” He nodded resolutely. Then he spotted Michael and Chrissy, chatting happily as they made their way down the steps of the main entrance.

 

Okay, showtime. He could do this. The attraction was still clearly there for the both of them, maybe even more so than when they kissed three months ago, but Jeremy was still nervous as fuck for some reason. Chrissy spotted him and gently guided Michael over, still chatting about some random topic. It warmed Jeremy’s heart to see his two favorite people still getting along so beautifully. He was right; Chrissy fit with them perfectly.

 

Jenna tugged Brooke along, hiding off somewhere, probably the best spot to get the best video. He wasn't focused on them right now though, he couldn't help but hone in on his two favorite people.

 

"-why I think you should watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail, I still have the DVD somewhere," Michael said, smiling wide down at Christine, not even noticing where (and who) he was being led to.

 

"It definitely sounds really good. I definitely wanna see the cute bunny that you mentioned. You know how much I love rabbits- oh, _hey_ Jeremy!"

 

Michael's head lifted up then, meeting Jeremy's gaze as he smiled wide. "Hey, my dude! Ready to get the hell outta here?"

 

Jeremy nodded with a shy sort of smile. “Yeah! But I just... I have something I wanna ask you first.”

 

Christine patted Michael’s arm. “I’ll meet you guys at your place later. I’ve got to sort some stuff out at home first.” She winked at Jeremy and gracefully exited. Both Michael and Jeremy waved after her, before Michael’s attention was solely on Jeremy again.

 

“What’s up, Remy?”

 

Jeremy tried to say something, but all that came out was a sort of wheeze. Goddamnit, why did he always do this when he was trying to say something important?!

 

“Just... say what’s on your mind, Remy. You can relax, it’s just me.” Michael’s smile could have lit up multiple cities (in Jeremy’s opinion), but it also helped him relax.

 

“It’s the end of the school year, and we’re both doing great now. So... do you wanna go get some slushies? Just- just the two of us?” He looked up at Michael hopefully.

 

Michael seemed to take a second to put the pieces together (well, more than a few, but he left enough context clues for Michael to figure it out, even if he wasn't... blunt about it). His eyes lit up, and he could've powered the entire state of New Jersey at this point. "Only if you properly ask me, because I want to properly answer," he said, reaching down and taking Jeremy's hands in his own.

 

Jeremy squeezed his hand and smiled softly, relief pouring through him. “Will you go out on a date with me, Mikey? And be my boyfriend?” He was sure he was in full heart-eyes mode and he knew he was practically vibrating with how happy he was, but he didn’t care. He did it. He asked Michael out properly.

 

"Of course, I would _love_ to," Michael told him before he felt hands resting around his waist, lifting him up suddenly before warm lips met his own, slotting perfectly together. Quickly, as if instinct, he wrapped his legs around Michael's waist, leaning a bit into the kiss... But he must've leaned too much, because Michael fell back (and thankfully into the grass), as he let out an 'oof.' "Holy shit, OK, I know we've both been very eager for this, but I didn't expect you to knock me off my feet like _that_ ," his _boyfriend_ laughed out, pulling away to say all of that.

 

Jeremy giggled too, feeling the utter _joy_ pulsing through him as he leant forwards and reconnected their lips. The kiss was sweet and loving and Jeremy didn’t get out of Michael’s lap but that seemed to suit them both just fine. He reached up and tangled one hand in Michael’s hair and the other went around his shoulders, pulling their torsos closer together. Michael’s hands were both holding him so gently, one resting on his hip and the other spread over his back, holding him close. The pressure wasn’t scary at all, not anymore. If anything, Jeremy welcomed it. It was soft. It was gentle. It was _Michael_.

 

After what felt like a heavenly forever, Michael pulled back, panting a bit as he rested his forehead against Jeremy's. "I've been waiting to do that since the last time we kissed," he said around a breathy laugh. "I can't wait to do that more. In fact, why wait?" Michael dove in for another kiss, tugging Jeremy just a little closer. Their lips slotter together so well, moving in tandem in a way that lit a fire in Jeremy's heart as well as made him feel so at ease. Jeremy could only guess this was what bliss felt li-

 

"Ow." Michael pulled back then, laughing a bit as he held onto his lip. "I think y'accidentally got a bit excited there and bit a little too hard when y'didn't mean to." Jeremy could see a little bit of blood coming from Michael's lower lip, though he didn't seem to really mind if his beaming smile was any indication.

 

Jeremy blushed a dark red. “Sorry, Mikey. Gonna need to practice a bit at that I guess,” he mumbled, pressing a quick kiss to Michael’s lips to soothe it. Yeah, that was his reason and he was sticking to it. “Oh! I actually have something for you. I almost forgot.” Jeremy reached into the big pocket and pulled out the can of Ecto Cooler, holding it up for Michael to see. “I know you’ve been wanting this for ages, so I thought I’d get it for you as a present.”

 

Michael gasped then, taking the can and scanning it over with wide eyes. "You... you got it? I've been talking and searching for ages. He kept telling me that he couldn't find it, the damn liar!" Despite what he said, Michael was laughing, and he scooped Jeremy up in his arms, keeping Jeremy in his lap, however, and brought him close before pressing a long, wet kiss to his cheek. "You're already the best boyfriend ever, and we've only been dating for what, a few minutes? Holy _shit_ Remy!"

 

Jeremy giggled and tucked himself into the crook of Michael’s neck happily. “I’m glad you like it.“ he sighed, kissing gently at his neck. This right here, this was heaven. It was blissful, just being close to Michael and being held and loved by Michael. It felt right, like it was always meant to be this way. He was so glad he sorted out his feelings. Once he’d realized his feelings for Christine were purely those of admiration, he finally had analyzed how his _other_ feelings actually were. He realized he liked Michael, and he realised it was something closer to love when he started properly losing him. But Michael was okay now and Jeremy was okay now and Jeremy could _finally_ say it. “Hey Mikey? I love you.”

 

He felt Michael relax when he said that, and the hold on him tightened a little. “I-I love you too,” Michael said back, but he was... sniffling?

 

Pulling back, Jeremy saw Michael tearing up a bit. Jeremy freaked out a little as concern filled him, and he reached over to wipe away at the fresh tears. “Don’t worry, these’re happy tears. I normally don’t get this emotional, ‘m sorry. I’m just really happy right now.”

 

Jeremy laughed a little at that, then cooed softly at Michael, kissing away his tears. “You sure you’re alright, Mikey? S’not too much at the moment?” he asked gently, feeling his own happy tears threaten to fall. How could he not get a little overwhelmed at Michael’s response? He was so happy he was _crying_!

 

“It’s a little much, but only ‘cause it’s so new, you’re making it a lot better,” Michael told Jeremy as he smiled at him. “I think I’ll be a lot better after I get to go on that slushie date with you. If it’s not too much to ask, not too bold for the first date, but would you mind coming back to my house with me? Crazy, I know, but-“

 

“Video games and weed?” Jeremy cut him off with a grin. Michael chuckled and nodded. It was so them and it was awesome. A thought occurred to Jeremy. “Wait, that means kissing while _high_. But kissing you is like being high anyways.... what’s the combination of the two gonna do to me then?” he asked in a stage whisper, mock worry in his eyes.

 

“Create a new kind of high for you? I don’t know,” Michael said around a laugh then before tapping Jeremy’s sides. “As much as I love you, my legs are falling asleep right now, and they need to be awake if I’m going to drive.”

 

Jeremy sort of grumbled as he climbed to his feet, but he was still grinning as he offered his hand to Michael to help him up. As soon as Michael was standing, he leant up and pecked his lips again, giggling a little as Michael chased his lips.

 

“You can’t just tease me like that,” Michael whined out before resting his head on top of Jeremy’s. “You better not do that after we get home- Wait, Chrissy’s coming over later. We can’t ruin her purity with the weed. Maybe we can get high after?”

 

“Chrissy knew I was asking you out today and made backup plans in case we wanted to be alone. She’s already given us her blessing.” Jeremy assured him with a smile. “So we can get high after slushies if you like, just lemme text her.”

 

Michael let out a little ‘oh’ then before gently smacking his forehead. “Duh, of course she knew. Yeah, never mind then, ignore me,” he said with a shy yet loving smile.

 

“Y’know, I’d rather not. I’d rather focus totally on you.” Jeremy grinned. Then his smile turned a little sheepish. “And- uh- Chrissy isn’t the only one who knew. I sorta told _everyone_ that I planned to, and Jenna maybe might be recording this?” He flushed and hurried to explain. “Videos are really important to me so I really wanted this moment captured and we can _totally_ delete it if you want but I didn’t want to ruin this by asking first and-“

 

“Jeremiah Heere, you are one of the sappiest people I’ve ever met. I do not want that deleted. I want it kept and saved so we can look back on this a week from now, months from now, years from now.” Michael wrapped his arms around Jeremy then, smiling down at him with such fondness. “I want to be able to look back at this and laugh, cry, and just enjoy this moment. The moment I can finally say that I love you with all the love I have _for_ you without worry or restraint.”

 

Jeremy’s blush deepened as he half melted against Michael, whining a little. “Mikey, you’re making me embarrassed...” He hid his face against Michael’s neck again, certain that Michael could feel the heat from his cheeks.

 

“I highly doubt that,” Michael told him before gently squeezing him. “Do you wanna go on that date now though? To celebrate the end of the school year and, more importantly, to just have our first official date together?”

 

Jeremy nodded, which was just effectively him nuzzling against Michael’s neck. “Please.” Jeremy relaxed, wrapping his arms around Michael properly and pressing a gentle kiss where he could reach. “We made it. And we made it _together_.” He sighed happily.

 

“I mean, of course we did. Did you think we _wouldn’t_?” Michael teased for a moment before reaching around, grabbing into his own backpack before pulling out Sandshrew. “We _do_ have a child, after all.”

 

“We do.” Jeremy’s head felt a little fuzzy, he was just so happy. “And he’s gonna need _both_ his dads around.” Jeremy grabbed Sandshrew and pulled him between them, adding the plushie to the cuddle. “Guess we’re gonna have to stay together for _ever_ to make sure that happens,” he teased back, only joking a little. He really meant it, to a point at least. They’d need to see how they worked as a couple before any real promises could be made.

 

“Oh of course,” Michael said, barely any sort of joking tone in his voice. “I mean, we’ve been together since we were five as friends. You already made me promise we’d be best friends forever when we were eight. You think I’m gonna let us _not_ be together forever after all this time?” Michael pressed a kiss to the top of Jeremy’s head then.

 

“No,” Jeremy replied. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

 

He let Michael take his hand and start leading him to the car. Jeremy followed, this time because it’s what he wanted to do. There were no SQUIPs influencing him, no danger to avoid, not even a panic to evade. He just let Michael tenderly guide him, and Jeremy would follow him back home.


	12. See! We ARE Cool in College! (Epilogue)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for sticking with us throughout this fic! It was very painful, I know, but you guys should know us by now if you've read out stuff. ;3c
> 
> This is a few years later, four actually, and they're approaching the end of their senior year of college, ooo. We hope you guys enjoy their happy ending as much as they do, and I hope you guys enjoy this fic as much as we enjoyed writing it! It was definitely a little out of left field for us since this was our first time writing Canon divergence together. 
> 
> Our next fic is DnD (Dungeons and Dragons) inspired! We try our best to explain everything as we went in this fic that'll come soon, I promise, so those who are unfamiliar with the game and concept can pick up on things quickly! So look forward to that!
> 
> And a big thanks to Mara, who is an amazing best friend, writer, and overall person. I'm so blessed to know her and have met her. <333 Give her so much love and support, yeah?
> 
>  
> 
> And now, a word from said favowite pewson :3c :
> 
> 'Hey lovelies! So! The story is finally over, the baddie been beaten and the boys recovered. Now for the fluffy ending... maybe >;3c
> 
> I‘m joking, we wouldn’t take the happy ending away from our boys like that. They’ve been through so much this fic, it’s easily our darkest one yet, and the deserve some peace after it all.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who’s read it all the way through, especially if you’ve been with it since the beginning! You’re all amazing! And thanks for your lovely comments, they really mean the world to us both. I love you guys so much! And I love Ari, my amazing writing partner and one of my best friends. Make sure to give her just as much love! Enjoy!'

Studying was never Michael's forte, even if he had been in public school his whole life and he was about to finish his undergraduate program at NJIT... Heh, it seemed so close to those Myers Briggs test results- _focus_.

 

Yeah, studying. He hated it and couldn't do it at all in his apartment, so he resorted to utilizing the library on campus to try to study for his big final in his last business class. Michael knew he needed to pass it, and Jeremy kept reassuring him that he would, but he could never be too prepared, especially since his business minor was totally needed so he and Jeremy could try to make their own little video game company.

 

He was so busy studying, occasionally running his hand along the fabric of Sandshrew's ear, that he almost didn't notice one of his classmates in his music theory class pop up. "Hey Mell!" Michael almost tossed the plush, but his heart only jumped for a second and his classmate quickly apologized. "Sorry, didn't mean to bug you. You're working really hard though and never seem to take a break. Damn. Are you like a well-oiled machine or what? I could use some of that energy myself."

 

Michael tensed up for a split second at the 'machine' comment, but only for that split second. He couldn't help but laugh along with his classmate before reaching over and gently punching her shoulder. "Hey, maybe if you work hard enough and stop going out to party every Thursday night-"

 

"Hell no, it's what helps keep me sane!"

 

"Suit yourself then." Well, his study flow energy was sufficiently ruined by that near heart-attack, but his little alarm he set off for himself for his study time to end went off. He quickly turned it off on his phone before stretching his arms above his head. "Well, I need to get going. Sorry I couldn't stay to chat, Riley."

 

"Nah, it's cool. I'll see you later, I gotta go find Rob anyway." She waved before Michael quickly started to repack his backpack. He let himself get lost in his music playing from his headphones, some of which was his own that he used as tester pieces for a concept he and Jeremy came up with for a game demo, as he got everything in his bag, picked up Sandshrew, and hurried to get to his Cruiser. Bless that Cruiser's little engine-running heart for still working, even after all these years.

 

His ringtone suddenly cut through the music, the custom one for Jeremy. He answered it. “Hey love,” Jeremy said first.

 

“Hey Remy! What’s up?”

 

“Can you pick up some more food for Puck on your way back? The fat little bastard got into the container again so we need to top it up and hide it better this time.” Jeremy’s tone was both annoyed and fond, and Michael couldn’t help but chuckle at the idea of their naughty little ferret causing mischief again.

 

"Yeah, of course. Is there anything else that we need while I'm out?" he asked as he made it to his car, unlocking it before getting in and tossing his backpack into the front seat. "For him, for you, for the apartment?"

 

“We need bread and we also could do with some chicken if you don’t want to be eating ramen again tonight.” Jeremy sounded thoughtful. “Also I could use another eraser if you can find one. Mine’s almost out.”

 

"OK, so I'm heaped on with responsibilities, cool," Michael teased as he started the Cruiser up, quickly pausing the CD player so it wouldn't blare. "I got it though, don't worry. Anything else?"

 

“Hey! I’m the starving artist, you’re the businessman. You’re _supposed_ to be the responsible one,” Jeremy snarked, and Michael could hear the grin in his voice. “Just double check if the dry cleaners will be open this weekend. We need to get our suits cleaned up for Chrissy’s opening night next week.”

 

"Jeremy, you can literally google that on your phone, you little shit," Michael said as he reached into his backpack, taking out his wallet so he could just grab it and go into the stores. "Even if _I'm_ supposed to be the responsible one, you can at _least_ do that much."

 

“I’m only asking because you’re going to be going to the store _right_ next to it.” Jeremy snorted. “Don’t worry, I’m being responsible. I’m finishing up the final concept art pieces for our big bad _and_ I’ve completed the demo. Mr. Lohst is gonna give us that loan for _sure_.”

 

"I know, but still. And that's amazing, Remy! We can playtest it tonight," Michael said as he couldn't help but smile wide. "I gotta go drive now, but I'll text you when I'm done with all the shopping and I'm on my way back, yeah?"

 

“Sure thing, Mikey. Love you! See you soon!” he cooed. Even five years later, hearing Jeremy say that _still_ gave Michael butterflies but it also was gently warm, like the feeling of home.

 

"See you soon, love you more," Michael teased, laughing a little as he heard Jeremy argue before Jeremy hung the phone up on his end. God, he was so lucky.

 

 

 

Almost an hour and a half later (mostly due to traffic), Michael unlocked the door to their apartment next to the city (living in a city, especially Newark, was expensive, so living in the town next door worked just fine for them and their wallets). "Honey, I'm _home_ ," he called out as he gently kicked the door shut behind himself, making sure to lock it afterwards.

 

Jeremy popped his head from the study, a big grin on his face. “Sweetheart! I missed you! How was work?” he cooed, sauntering up and playing up the ‘housewife’ role. He even lifted his leg and pointed his foot up when he reached up to kiss Michael’s cheek.

 

Michael couldn't help but burst out laughing at that. "You know damn well I only can work on the weekends, and it's Friday," Michael said before reaching down and giving Jeremy a quick peck on the lips. "You know that school and studying is a huge pain, but we're almost done! How was your day?"

 

Jeremy giggled and kissed Michael properly, lingering a second. “Productive. I got so much done after class, including the demo. It just needs the music and it’s one-hundred percent ready to show!” He took a bag from Michael and led him into the kitchen, grinning brightly. Michael smiled fondly at his boyfriend. “Oh yeah, and as you know, our other son has been a right greedy bastard so he’s currently in baby jail until I decide otherwise.”

 

“God, I keep forgetting that you call it baby jail,” Michael laughed out as he walked into the kitchen, putting down the bag of ferret food from PetSmart. “When do you think you’ll decide otherwise, because if you wait too long, he’ll get really sad.”

 

“Maybe twenty minutes more? He’s finally stopped trying to escape so I think he’s almost learnt his lesson,” Jeremy hummed as he pulled out the chicken. “This will be perfect. I’ll start cooking in a few minutes, yeah? Should be done within an hour, so you can relax for a bit since you’ve been working so hard. You deserve a break.” He put the still-wrapped chicken on the meat board and washed his hands.

 

”I’d argue to help you cook, but I don’t wanna get ran out of the kitchen with a spatula,” Michael said around a laugh, grabbing Puck’s food container and starting to refill it. “Plan to tell me what you’re making? Also, can I check on the naughty boy in baby prison?”

 

“Nothing too special. Just some chicken parmesan, since I _know_ you’ve been craving it since Tuesday.” Jeremy grinned, digging through the cupboards to pull out the ingredients. “And yes, you can go check on him. Just don’t let him out yet, I need to do that if he’s ever gonna learn.”

 

“Hey, I’m the one who normally has to remind you of that,” Michael pointed out before giving Jeremy a peck on the cheek. “I’ll be back soon.” With that, he went into the study where the so-called ‘baby jail’ was set up.

 

The white ferret was curled up miserably in his cage, obviously pouting, but he bolted upright as soon as he saw Michael. He started pacing this way and that, trying to get his attention. He was showing off, not touching the bars but trying to make himself look cute, the manipulative little goblin.

 

“Hi there, Pew,” Michael said with a laugh as he sat down in front of his cage. “You know I’m not your dad, right? You can’t trick me with your cute to let you out early.”

 

Puck stopped pacing, preening himself a little as if to say, ‘Look, I can be good!’

 

He rolled his eyes at that before shaking his head. “Nope. You need to spend time in there to learn your lesson. I just wanted to come in and check on you. I’ll play and snuggle with you _after_ your baby jail time is over.”

 

Puck stared at him a moment longer before deflating and curling up again, shooting him a betrayed look. It was funny how much this ferret was like Jeremy. He really _was_ Jeremy’s baby.

 

“You won’t be so pouty after you’re out, don’t worry,” Michael almost cooed out as he playfully stuck his tongue out at Puck. “You were a hungry little shit and need to learn to _not_ gorge yourself.”

 

Puck head butted the bars of his cage sadly and settled down at last.

 

“You know I love you, Pew. I’ll give you lots of love after your baby prison time is up,” he promised, reaching through the cage bars and gently scratching his head before getting up and going to get changed into some pjs.

 

Once he was changed and comfortable, Michael set himself up in the living room, deciding to stream some YouTube to their tv. He let himself relax for a while, enjoying the chance to ignore everything and just be.

 

Then the voice started up. “ ** _There are so many more productive things you could be doing, Michael. Let me help._** ” Despite years having passed since the incident, the SQUIP had never fully faded. At least it was sticking to the Keanu voice for now; it got more difficult to ignore when it was Jeremy’s voice, but that also seemed to drain it more.

 

Michael let out a heavy sigh, getting up to go to the kitchen. “ ** _No, not here. Let me help you be more productive,_** ” it continued. Instead of acknowledging its presence, Michael smiled at Jeremy, who smiled back, before he grabbed their chilling bottle of Red. He unscrewed the top, quickly taking a sip and frowning as there was a slight headache forming from the pain of silencing the SQUIP, but the damn thing was gone.

 

After putting the bottle back with the cap on, he reached in and grabbed one of his chilled bottles of orange Fanta, unscrewing the top and drinking some of that. “How’s dinner going?”

 

Besides the small flicker of concern at Michael drinking the Red (Jeremy was always worried when one of them needed it), Jeremy looked relaxed, continuing as normal. “It’s going really good. I’m just about to go let Puck out, then get back to it. Will you look after him while I keep cooking?” Jeremy asked, kissing Michael on the cheek as he walked past.

 

"Yeah, of course. You want me to stay in the study with him or can he come out into the apartment?" Michael asked as he took another sip from his soda, staying at the edge of the kitchen entranceway, ready to watch the food for when Jeremy went to let Puck out.

 

“He can come out, he’s been confined long enough.” Jeremy chuckled, vanishing into the study for a minute. He came back with Puck sitting on his shoulder, nuzzling his face apologetically.

 

Michael couldn’t help but smile fondly down at the scene in front of him, at how adorable both his boyfriend and their ferret looked. “Hey, you learned your lesson, Pew?” he asked as Jeremy came over, scratching under Puck’s chin before offering his shoulder for the ferret to climb onto.

 

Puck gave Jeremy one more nuzzle before scampering up Michael’s arm and settling on his shoulder, rubbing his head against Michael’s cheek.

 

“That’s right, kiss up to daddy. You’re just brownnosing us, I know about noodles like you,” Jeremy complained dramatically, heading over to the sink and washing his hands.

 

At that, Michael couldn’t help but loudly laugh at that before turning his head and giving Puck a quick kiss. “I do too, but it doesn’t mean I won’t enjoy it.” He went over to Jeremy, kissing his cheek. “If you need anything, call for me. I’m gonna keep watching some YouTube until you need me to help or until dinner is ready.”

 

“Will do, love.” Jeremy grinned, reaching up to kiss Michael’s cheek before getting back to cooking. The smell of fresh garlic bread wafted from the oven when Jeremy opened it to check.

 

Michael couldn’t help but smile wide at that, and for a second, he just wanted to sit and watch Jeremy. Puck’s gentle nudging got him out of his slight stupor though, and he went into the living room as he pressed a soft kiss to the ferret’s head.

 

 

 

Jeremy was feeling delightfully full after dinner. He’d done everything right with the food and it had just been brilliant. Michael had seemed to enjoy it too, and Puck had been watching on with jealousy.

 

“Let’s get the dishes to the back and get the washing up done. I don’t want to have to think of anything but cuddles once we get to the couch.” Jeremy sighed, standing up and picking up his plate from the dining table.

 

“Well, except for me testing the demo later.” Michael pointed out as he got up with his own plate as well as any miscellaneous stuff that needed to be washed, piling it onto his plate neatly.

 

“Yeah but that’s _fun_. Washing up isn’t, and neither is housework usually,” Jeremy grumbled, heading into the kitchen. He put the dishes on the side and started running the taps to warm it up.

 

“You have to try to make it fun. Listening to music or talking with someone helps,” his boyfriend countered as he put his own dishes to the side. “You wash, I dry?”

 

“Sounds good.” Jeremy nodded, hip checking Michael as he got into place. “Who’s gonna hold the gremlin?” he asked as he began washing the first plate.

 

"Let him choose," Michael offered as he took his place by the side, picking up the hand towel and waiting with an adorable and patient smile.

 

Jeremy scooted closer and rested his shoulder against Michael’s. Puck looked between them and then hopped over to Jeremy’s shoulder with a small squeak, nuzzling him happily. Obviously he was very glad to be accepted again. Jeremy giggled and got back to washing up.

 

He had just handed the last plate to Michael when it happened. A small static shock, from Michael’s hand to Jeremy’s. He froze, brain threatening to shut down. Even now this was still a problem.

 

As soon as he froze, Michael spoke up. "Oh god, Jeremy, I'm so sorry. That was an accident, it was static shock, not one of those kind of shocks," Michael reassured as he apologized. Puck, from where he was perched, gently nuzzled against Jeremy's neck then, clearly worried.

 

Jeremy took a deep breath. Then another. This was Michael, it wasn’t a SQUIP. It wasn’t _his_ SQUIP. It was just a standard static discharge that happened to everyone. He could deal with them from everyone else, and this should be no different. With another deep breath, Jeremy relaxed and shot Michael a small smile. “It’s... fine. Not your fault, these things just happen sometimes.”

 

Michael seemed to visibly relax at that. “Well, that’s good that you’re good. I’m going to give you lots of cuddles on the couch, or let you give lots of cuddles. Whichever you prefer,” he said then before giving Jeremy a lingering wet kiss on the cheek.

 

Jeremy’s smile softened. Michael was so sweet, and he genuinely hated making Jeremy even a little uncomfortable. It was impossible for Jeremy to be scared of him or mistake his kindness as anything but honest, he was too open and genuine for it to be anything else.

 

“Cuddles sounds nice,” Jeremy agreed, leaning into the kiss. Puck booped his nose against Jeremy’s other cheek, in his version of a kiss. Jeremy giggled. “Would you look at that. My boyfriend _and_ our son have kissed me. Now all I need is a kiss from Sandshrew and I’ve got one from the whole family!” Jeremy dried off his hand and reached up to stroke Puck fondly, who leant into the touch.

 

Michael laughed a bit at that. “Well, he’s been lying on the couch. Do you want to cuddle on the couch or in bed?” he asked then as Michael quickly put their dishes, silverware, and cups away.

 

“Couch would be best, I’ll probably doze off if we cuddle in bed, and then I’ll miss you playing the demo!” Jeremy grinned, pulling out two mugs, one for the hot chocolate for himself and one for the chocolate milk for Michael, since he didn’t like hot drinks. He quickly started mixing everything up.

 

“Yeah, you’re right, I’d do that too,” Michael admitted with a laugh. “Do you want any snacks for our cuddle time? I can prep that while you make the drinks. I can’t just do nothing when you’re being so sweet.”

 

Jeremy grinned. “Grab me the marshmallow box and the whipped cream can please! And then grab a bag of M&Ms for cuddle time snacks. I wanna spoil myself a little.” He hummed happily when Michael came up behind him, kissed the nape of his neck, and then hurried off to fulfil Jeremy’s request. “ _You’re_ so sweet too, y’know.”

 

“Oh, well it takes a sweet person to know one,” Michael pointed out as Jeremy heard him getting their snacks. “Also, there are some good stuff we can play while we can cuddle in our subscription feed.”

 

“Awesome!” Jeremy grabbed a marshmallow from the box Michael held out and dropped it into his hot chocolate. “You want cream on yours?” he asked, adding a nice swirl on top of his drink.

 

“Yeah, for sure,” Michael said around a hum. “Just not too much. Also, I might grab the gaming laptop that the demo’s on so we can play after a bit of cuddling. I should have the music for the last scene finished by the end of this weekend.”

 

“Perfect. You get that, I’ll take the drinks through.” Jeremy kissed Michael’s cheek and headed into the living room. Once he was settled on the couch, he took some cream onto his finger and held it up for Puck to have. The ferret ate it all happily, nuzzling against Jeremy’s cheek again in thanks. He chuckled. “I spoil you, you little furry noodle. I hope you know how privileged you are.” He kissed Puck’s head and got a boop on his cheek in return, prompting another round of giggles.

 

Michael came out a minute later, settling down with snacks and put them down on their little coffee table. “Snacks and laptop inbound!” He settled down on the other side of the couch as he put the laptop down on the table as well, grabbing the remote. “Did you figure out what you wanted to watch, Remy?”

 

“You choose.” Jeremy sighed, already curling up against Michael. Puck scooted to sit along the back of the couch, resting his head on top to Jeremy’s. As Michael’s arm wrapped around him, Jeremy relaxed. He was safe. He was home. And even his reflection in the mirror by the dining table, over in the direction he was facing, didn’t spark anything more than a memory of a need. He was getting better.

 

Even if it was a long time away, he would eventually be better. Hell, he might not be ever be totally better, but it was alright. Jeremy had Michael, their future together, their happy, domestic life with their plush son and furry son. There may be some bumps in their future, the good kind and the bad kind. He was hoping for a lot more good ones, with the demo and the ring he knew was on the way, but Jeremy was fine if they had a few more rough bumps to balance it out.

 

Even if things got rough, Jeremy knew that he and Michael would tenderly guide each other to a happy ending, no matter where they ended up.


End file.
